Red Dog
by Copper Moon
Summary: A Reno origin story. When Reno kills a valued informant of the Turks, he soon finds himself entangled in a fight he wants no part in. Also starring: Tseng, Rude, Cissnei, Katana (from Before Crisis) and Commander Veld. Rated for language, just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

CM: Yes, it's another Reno origin story. This story features Reno and how he became involved with the Turks. For all you Reno and Turk lovers out there, this is the story for you! So if you're ready for fun and good times, sit back, relax, and enjoy reading...

**RED DOG**

_Disclaimer: We don't own FF7 or its characters. _

**Chapter 1: Kicking a Dog**

It was almost morning when Reno stumbled into the run down junk shop. He clenched his right arm with his left hand, warm stickiness seeping out between his fingers and dripping onto the dusty floor. He looked around the room, 'Not like it mattered.' He thought, just another dark stain to add to the collection of stains that littered the floor. He touched his shoulder, 'Shit!' his arm hurt like hell. He went to a work bench in the corner, dropping the gore stained metal pipe onto the table with a clatter. He collapsed into the chair parked in front of the work area and turned on the small desk lamp before he began rifling through the tools. It was nothing short of a miracle everything was how he'd left it. Down in the slums, any place was subject to getting raided if left alone for too long.

Shady Larry must've left behind one hell of a reputation. Reaching around the work area he selected the tools he needed before singlehandedly pulling his blood stained shirt off. The bullet wound was a nasty sight, but looking at it closely, it didn't appear to be in too deep and just in the muscle. Resigning himself to what he was about to do, he grabbed a dirty rag and bit down on it, tasting grime. Then he unscrewed the cap of a whisky bottle, turned it in his hand, bit harder on the rag as he adjusted himself in the seat and then in one fluid motion, he splashed the amber liquid on the open wound. Before he could set the bottle down, the burning of alcohol caused him to see stars as he felt light headed and dizzy.

"HOOOOOOOOOLYYYYYYYYYYY SHIIIIIIIIT!" He almost screamed as he gripped the counter.

He blinked a few times to clear his blurry vision and bore the pain. Pulling the rag from his teeth he wiped at the wound until the alcohol cleared most of the blood away. Setting the bottle down with trembling hands, he took up the pair of needle nosed pliers next. Bracing himself again he slowly and gently pushed the tip of the pliers into the red opening until he touched the backside of the slug. The twinge caused him to see stars again. Opening the pliers he slipped the jaws down the sides of the slug until he felt he had it firmly and then he squeezed. After what seemed like hours but was in fact only about three or four minutes, he pulled the blood covered chunk of lead out and let it clatter to the counter top. He was breathing deeper than he ever remembered.

Reno dropped the pliers and picked up the bottle again. Somehow the second rinsing was even more painful than the first. He nearly passed out from the pain, but shook it off. He let the bottle fall to the floor and went limp in the chair. He tried to take deep steady breaths as he forced himself to hold on to a sliver of consciousness.

When he regained a reasonable amount of his faculties he took up the carpet needle which he had laid out and threaded it with the only thing he had on hand, carpet thread. Dipping the needle into the whisky and starting at the top, he worked his way down the wound, stitching it closed. Tying a knot in the end he leaned over and bit off the thread. Taking a lighter he fired the thread until it burned up to the stitching before blowing it out. A final splash over his handy work and setting back in the chair, he allowed himself to pass out in the chair.

* * *

It was barely light when he next became aware; he started at the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor of the shop. Reno immediately sat up, his fingers searching the table until they closed over the metal pipe. Just as he turned to give whoever it was one hell of a welcome, the person quickly backed off.

"Shit, kid, you want me to come back later?"

Reno's arm went slack and he nearly passed out from shear relief. "Blay…. Don't fucking scare me like that."

"Didn't realize you were so jumpy," the man remarked stepping forward. He pulled up a rusted chair that creaked in protest under his weight, even though he really wasn't that much meatier than Reno. "You look like shit."

"Up yours," Reno mumbled, keeping his weapon on hand.

Blay was a cool guy, as cool as they came considering the rat hole he had to live in. However, after all the crap that'd been happening lately, Reno wasn't inclined to trust anyone right now.

The guy wasn't stupid, however. "You best point that somewhere else or its going straight up your ass, boy," he warned as his pulled out a carton of cigarettes. After taking one in his teeth he held the box out to Reno who accepted without hesitation using his injured arm. Some nicotine might help calm his nerves a bit.

"What have I told you about calling me 'boy', dread-head?"

"Whatever, I didn't come here to throw down with you." Blay reached into his tattered jacket and pulled out a lighter. After a few tries he manage to light his cancer stick, then stuck the flame out for Reno to light up.

The red head took a deep long drag as he relaxed a little more in his seat. Tilting his head back he let the stream of smoke shoot skywards. Aw yeah, that was stuff. "So what did you come here for? The old man's dead… not much dealin' left for you to do."

Blay for years had served as Shady Larry's supplier. He was good at scrounging up some of the best materials you could find in the slums. That and the guy was a shark when it came to dealing.

Blay ran his fingers over the piercings in his bottom lip. "I heard rumors you took out Don Reuel." His pale grey eyes met Reno's in a serious stare. "That true?"

Reno's lips curled up into an expression what most would see as a sign of dementia. "Yeah… you should've heard the way his skull broke open."

The man shut his eyes and bowed his head, his sable brown dreads spilling over his wide shoulders. Guy looked like he was praying. Fat lot of good that'd do him, thought Reno. "You little idiot…. Do you have any idea the amount of shit you're gonna be in?"

"Like I care," Reno muttered, taking another hit of the cigarette. "That bastard killed Shady Larry. People need to learn just because you can kick a dog doesn't mean it won't bite back."

"You didn't just kick a dog, Reno, you kicked a motherfucking dragon." Reno shot the guy a nasty look and he sighed. "Look, I liked Shady Larry too. He was one in a million, but people die, especially in a city like this. It's just the way things are."

Reno scowled but he couldn't argue with Blay's logic. "I'm not sorry," he stated, just to say it.

"Maybe not now," Blay said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "But that might change once the Turks are on your ass. From what I hear Don Reuel was in tight with them."

Reno visibly winced. "Fuck me."

"Not on your life."

"Fine, fuck you then."

Blay cracked a grin at that, but seconds later his frown was back in place. "Listen, kid. You need to get out of here, lay low for a bit, dye your hair, whatever and get the hell out of Midgar."

Reno was silently contemplative for a few moments. Then he smiled a bit. "Naw, I ain't going anywhere." Midgar was all he knew, ever since he'd been born. He wasn't going to skip out now just because he was in a lick of trouble. Besides, it was a big city, one he knew better than most.

Blay stared at him, dumbfounded. "They will kill you the second they find you."

"They'll have to catch me first, "Reno said grinning even more. He wasn't sure why he wasn't… okay, he'd admit, he was scared. Everyone knew about the Turks, and the key rule was, you don't mess with them. But there wasn't any rule Renocame across that he didn't bend just a little. "You said it yourself, I got the fastest legs under the plates."

Blay rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. "You're batshit insane if you think that alone will keep you safe."

"That's what I have you for, right, buddy?"

* * *

Tseng had seen plenty of carnage in his life. So when he opened the doors to the Don's house, the sight of several corpses did nothing to faze him. It was more the cause of death. Most of them suffered fatal blows to the head, their skulls emptying out onto the polished hardwood floor.

"Oh man," his partner, Talli, whispered from beside him. Her dark brown eyes took in the scene and she crinkled her nose. No doubt from the stink of blood. "What the hell happened here?"

"That's what we're going to find out," he told her, stepping further into the open area. After a quick assessment he discarded the theory of a possible raid. The place was far too intact. This was the work of a very small group. He tried flipping the light switch to offer more brightness, but nothing happened.

"Power's been cut," he murmured looking back at the carnage. "I assume they were all fighting in complete darkness." Perfect cover for the attackers. He took a closer look at the bodies and noticed something odd. "They all seem to be hit with the same weapon with the same amount of force."

"Okay, so that just means they all came through here with the same type of blunt object and were all about the same size dealing equal amounts of damage," Talli stated nodding her head.

"Actually," Tseng slowly got to his and followed the line of death up the stairs with his eyes. "I think this was caused by one person."

"One person?" she repeated in disbelief. "But how?"

"How indeed," he murmured. "Continue inspecting this floor, I'll take the upstairs."

"Sure thing, partner."

Tseng took out a pocket flashlight and continued to go farther into the house, inspecting anything he came across. It seemed at some point the attacker managed to get his hands on a firearm. From the several wounds many of the victims bore, it was not a trained professional, simply a person out for blood.

At last he reached the Don's room and the first thing he found was the man's body lying on the king sized bed. It was then perfectly clear Don Reuel was the true target. There wasn't an inch of the man's body that hadn't been beaten. His face especially was unrecognizable. His death had been slow, merciless.

"A hit that had extra casualties," Tseng murmured stepping through the door. Right away he could tell the fight in this room had been long and drawn out. There were blood stains all over the floor and bullet holes peppered the far wall. There was a well oiled gun lying on the floor in the middle of the room. Looking it over without touching it, he could see that it was a standard issue automatic pistol normally containing 9 bullets. He glanced back at the wall and counted the holes noting that there weren't enough. "Hmm..." He looked at the bloodstains once more and noticed that there was one set that seemed to trail right out the door.

He inspected the room farther not really finding anything else of interest before heading back downstairs where his partner was just finishing her investigation. "Find anything?" she asked curiously.

"Our perpetrator has been injured," Tseng answered easily. "And his target was Reuel. He was beaten beyond recognition. Whoever it was he'd upset, came here looking for revenge."

"Then that's the only thing they were here for," she stated, glancing around. "Nothing appears to be stolen, and none of the other rooms were broken into."

Tseng pulled out a cell phone and called into headquarters for a cleanup crew. Once he was done with that he turned to his partner. "Let's regroup with the others. I doubt whoever did this managed to escape completely unnoticed.

The dark skinned female nodded and the two of them left the dead house. Wall Street was busy as ever, though the death of Don Reuel had created an upset. He had been a large business head in the area, after all.

"This takes me back," Talli commented, glancing around the brightly lit street.

Tseng felt her looking at him and could guess what she was thinking about. "You're remembering when we first met."

She laughed at the memory. "You stood out so much. I ain't never seen anyone so uptight in that club before. Especially when I took the stage."

"Yes, well, I wasn't there of my own volition," Tseng muttered.

"Yeah I know," she laughed. "You'd never be caught dead in that place if it hadn't been a mission. But I'm glad you came when you did. I needed the change in pace." She grinned and poked him lightly in the side. "And in men."

Tseng sighed and continued moving down the street ignoring her obvious jab. She pouted lightly at being ignored but didn't press it, and moments later they were rejoined by their comrades.

"So, just how bad was that mansion?" a short man wearing the uniform asked coming up to the pair. His name was George. "Let me guess, the place was totaled and everything worth taking was."

"What did you two find?" the young girl next to him asked shaking her head. Her name was Cissnei, and she was Geroge's partner. She was only 13 years old and her short auburn hair framed her soft features.

"It was a hit job," Talli spoke up quickly. "Nothing was taken and apparently the Don was totaled."

George looked rather taken aback by the news while Cissnei appeared intrigued.

"What have you found?" Tseng asked the two of them.

The younger female crossed her arms. "Well, according to the girls at the Honey Bee Inn, those who were there that night didn't see the attacker. When they heard the sounds of gunshots they were too afraid to leave the bedrooms."

"There were a couple people talking about seeing a red headed kid going towards the Don's place," her male comrade informed. "It was a drifter who said he'd seen the kid leaving Wall Street with an injured arm."

Talli gave a low whistle. "Hard to believe big ol' Don Reuel gettin' knocked off by a kid."

"Anything else?" Tseng pressed. "Did anyone recognize him?"

"When we gave the description to the item shop owner, he mentioned the kid sometimes delivered him goods from a guy named Shady Larry," the other male said with a shrug.

"Oh, I know that guy," Talli piped up with a grin. "I met him a few years back. Crazy sucka, but he treated me a hella lot better than most guys around here did."

"Any idea where this Shady Larry lives?" George asked.

"In sector four, I think," Talli answered after a moment of thought. "He's really well known down here though. Anyone that needs something specially made goes to him."

"Even someone like Reuel?" Cissnei asked. They all looked at her in surprise and she shrugged. "You said it was a hit, from someone who worked with him. Chances are there was some sort of connection between the two."

George nodded. "You're right, Cissnei, good eye. Tseng, I want you and Talli to check out this Shady Larry and find out what his connection with Don Reuel was. Cissnei, you and I will report back."

They all nodded and started heading in their separate directions. "And Tseng!" The Wutain paused and turned to look at his superior. "Make sure you report in moment you find anything more."

* * *

Reno glanced around, seeing if there was anything important he missed. He knew he didn't have a lot of time and was grateful he'd had the foresight to bury Shady Larry as well as hideaway his more important and valuable items. Blay was near the door tapping his foot on the floor impatiently, not bothering to hide it from Reno he wanted to get his ass out of there asap.

"Keep doing that long enough and you might just bring the old man back to life," Reno remarked as he double checked his bearings. In a tattered old bag he managed to stuff in some nifty little trinkets that could help him out of a jam or two.

"I wouldn't be so nervous if you'd just hurry up," Blay muttered. "You're not packing for vacation you know."

"Just making sure I got everything." Once satisfied, Reno tied up the bag and slung it over his shoulder. He glanced over at the work bench where a pair of goggles sat. Reno's face tightened. Shady Larry had always worn them, whether he was working or not. He went over and picked them up sliding them over his head and around his neck. He immediately didn't like the idea of having something someone could choke him with, so he pushed them up onto his forehead causing much of the hair which hung in his face to be suspended.

Turning to Blay, he asked, "How do I look?"

"Like an idiot," Blay replied shaking his head. "I'd say forget it, but I know you'd just ignore me on purpose."

"Damn straight," Reno replied ignoring the name as he adjusted the eyewear on his head. It'd take some getting used to, but Blay was right...he wouldn't be getting rid of it.

"What do you have for weapons?" Blay asked him. Reno picked up his blood cover metal pipe and the older man snorted. "That's seriously it?"

"Well, I got this too," Reno said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a materia. "Grade 3 Lightning. Shady Larry used it mostly to charge stuff up, but I don't think he'll mind me using it for other stuff."

Blay nodded in approval. "Nice. While you're at it, take this with you." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a bright green materia.

"Ooh, is that what I think it is?" Reno asked in excitement.

Blay nodded, handing it over. "Yup, it's Cure. It'll help with your injuries but it won't save you from a fatal wound. So just don't get roughed up too badly."

"These are hard to come by down here," Reno said waving it in his hand. He tested it out by holding it to his aching arm. In moments the pain lessened and when he pulled up his sleeve, he saw the skin had all but stitched back together. "Whoa, I like. You sure you want me to have this?"

"I have a feeling you're gonna need it a lot more than me."

"Hehe, thanks man," Reno replied dropping the materia into his pocket. "Got anythin' else for me or ya sayin' bye?"

"Just comin' here is enough to possibility to get me killed," he replied with a smirk. "That cure is all yer gettin' from me." He stepped out the door as he spoke and Reno followed with the same grin.

"Shut up," he chuckled lightly as the two faced each other on the street after locking the door behind him.

"Just try not to get yourself killed, boy," Blay told him as he turned and headed towards sector 5.

"Not a chance, old man. I'll make sure you kick it before I do," Reno playfully shot back. He watched the man lift his right hand holding up only his middle finger and Reno laughed. Then he turned and started running; he knew the slums well enough, the Turks will never find him where he's going.

* * *

CM: Well, how'd you like that? Not bad for a starting chapter, huh? We'll update depending on how well received this is. So if you liked it and you want more, let us know. :D


	2. Man Hunt

**Chapter 2: Man Hunt**

The Sector 4 slums were one of the more sketchy areas under the plates, arguably more so than Sector 6. Yet several people still somehow managed to make a living there, even if the majority of them were surreptitious. Tseng was thankful to have Talli as a partner in that regard. Even though she'd only lived in Midgar for an approximate of 5 years, she had been around most of the slum areas. So she was not only relatively familiar with the areas and the people in them, but she knew how to handle herself. The slums were no place for a clueless person, male or female. Scratch that, Midgar wasn't a place for the clueless, period.

It didn't take them long to find the residence of Shady Larry. He was apparently quite popular as well as infamous. The place was about what they expected to find in the slums, save for the strange contraption keeping the front door closed. It was two stories and looked like it should be condemned. After a bit of finagling, the two managed to find how to get it open and stepped inside.

They very quickly began to realize the type of person Shady Larry was by the clutter that met their eyes when they stepped inside. The first room was what could have been a living room with a couple couches and a TV that had a strange jumble of metallic items coming from it that reached all the way to one of the couches. In the next room, that looked like a kitchen, there was a machine that appeared to be a cook. There were burners connected to large amounts of arms next to baskets of eggs and other assortment of food items.

"So, this guy was an inventor or something?" Talli asked taking pictures of everything with her phone. "Some of these things look pretty cool."

"Indeed, though it would appear these were simply for convenience sake and not what he would have been delivering to others," Tseng replied taking a closer look at a device meant to open and close the blinds.

As they went deeper into the house they found what was unmistakably a work room. The tables were loaded with tools and scraps of wire and metal. At first glance it was nothing but a total mess. But on closer inspection there was a system with items grouped together. Nuts, bolts, propellers, elastic bands… it was a mechanics utopia. Several projects lay unfinished on the tables.

While keeping his eyes on the floor to ensure he didn't trip over anything, Tseng noticed several blood stains on the floor. The way they smudged showed possible attempts to scrub them away. Someone had been brutally wounded here… quite possibly killed. He searched around some more while his partner continued to snap photos of anything of particular interest. He found near the back door leading outside several droplets of dried blood, vivid and untouched. Tseng followed a short trail to one of the work benches. On it was a near empty bottle of whisky, course thread, a needle, tweezers… and a blood covered bullet. All signs of crude first aid treatment.

"Geez, I wouldn't mind taking some of these things home with me," Talli commented as she inspected what appeared to be a hand crafted music box.

"You know we're not allowed…" Tseng began.

"I know, I know," she said quickly, cutting him off before he could throw the book at her. "We're not treasure hoarders. I'm just saying, this guy was something else."

Tseng would have to agree. It was quite possible this man could have given Shinra's technological research department a run for its money. "I'm going to check out back," he told her. "Take pictures of any bloodstains or signs of violence you happen to find."

"Count on me, honey bee."

As Talli continued to find things of interest to take photos of, Tseng went out the back door and began his inspection of the area. First thing he noticed, was directly in front of the two steps, were footprints that were just barely visible in the dirt. There were two sets that were recent and a third that appeared to have faded over time. He supposed this third pair belonged to Shady Larry as he'd heard the man almost never left the house. Of the other pairs, one belonged to his quarry and the other must have been there as a help.

Apart from the footprints there didn't seem to be any other signs as to who had been there or where they'd gone. He started walking around the house to see if there was anything else worth looking into and around the left side of the house he found a small grave with a single stick as a marker.

"This person must have been really close to him," he thought looking at the grave. "What was his connection though?"

"Tseng, I'm all done in here!" he heard Talli shout out the door at him. "Find anything out there?"

As distasteful as it was, Tseng knew he would need to check the grave. "Talli, if you can, find a shovel."

The female managed to locate a couple digging tools amongst all the other junk and together the two of them dug up a body wrapped in a bunch of cloth and newspaper with a full unopened bottle of whiskey. The smell indicated the body had begun its rotting period, however, if they were lucky, the face might still be identifiable.

Carefully, Tseng peeled away the cloth from the head, revealing the gaunt face of a man well past his prime. His face was slightly battered, and there was a bullet hole in his left temple. Beaten, then killed.

"Talli, do you recognize him?" he asked her.

"Hmm...it's kind of hard to tell cause the face is pretty damaged, but I think that's him," Talli answered looking over the corpse. "Yeah, I'm pretty certain that's Shady Larry."

"You've been around the slums long enough," Tseng continued logging away that the identity of the corpse was indeed the owner of the home. "What do you make of the injuries?"

"Well, I'd say that he really ticked someone off," she answered. "The bruises probably mean that they were trying to get some sort of information out of him before deciding to just kill him."

"I doubt they were the ones who were courteous enough to bury him," Tseng muttered, recovering the face.

He thought over what all they'd learned. Don Reuel had been brutally killed. Before that, Shady Larry had been done away with. The one said to have paid the Don a visit before his death and then leaving injured was a young male with red hair.

"It is quite possible Don Reuel's murder was an act of vengeance," he stated out loud.

"So you think it was the Don that did this to him?" Talli asked gesturing to the body.

Tseng shook his head. "I am only going by assumption, I cannot say for sure. What I can say is Don Reuel's killer likely returned here, then departed shortly after. We might try asking around for details."

"Ain't gonna be easy, people down here in the slums are more tight lipped than a hooker with plastic surgery," Talli told him.

"I know, but I doubt we'll get the whole story unless we are able to find our young killer," Tseng told her. "And to do that we'll need to know more about him."

"I know," Talli replied. "We should probably check in first though, I'll bet the Commander and Alistair will want to know what's going on.

"Naturally," Tseng agreed with a small nod. "Why don't you rebury this man while I call in. We'll start asking around here about people Shady Larry was close to once we finish."

"Alright, but make sure to tell me what the boss says got it," Talli conditioned. The young Wutain smiled ever so slightly and nodded his understanding before she began replacing the dirt over the deceased man.

Once she had gotten started, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. It rang a couple times before it was finally answered. "Tseng, I was wondering when I'd hear from you," the voice stated calmly. "George and Cissnei returned awhile ago and briefed me on the proceedings. What have you found since then?"

Tseng took a few minutes to relay what he and Talli discovered as well as what they managed to derive from it. As he waited for a reply, the Wutain could almost hear the man on the other end stroking his goatee in thought.

"That's some heavy stuff. One kid you say?" When Tseng affirmed this he heard a rumbling hum. "I almost want to shake the kid's hand for offing that miserable SOB."

"Sir, despite his lack of moral fiber, Don Reuel was a valuable informant for the Turks," Tseng reminded him. "And he was guaranteed our protection."

"You don't have to remind me, Tseng," the other man answered. "Not that I ever trusted the bastard. Alright, find the kid and bring him in for questioning. Also contact Reuel's cousin to fill in his spot. He's not much better but he'll be easier to break in."

"Understood, sir," Tseng answered before flipping his phone shut.

"So, what'd Al have to say?" Talli asked, stopping in the middle of reburying Shady Larry.

"We are to find the boy and take him back with us as well as get a hold of Don Reuel's cousin," Tseng answered, watching her finish burying the body.

"Ugh, that creep? Fantastic," Talli grumbled brushing herself off. "Can't we get someone else to do that? Don't forget I had to work for that bastard for awhile."

"I agree he isn't my first choice, but he is the only one we can have take Reuel's position quickly," Tseng sighed.

"Well, can't be helped I guess." She placed her hands on her hips. "Alright, I'm ready whenever you are. Let's have ourselves a man hunt."

Tseng knew this was going to be more than a chore. Midgar was a big place, with plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in. Still, there wasn't a person alive he had failed to find.

* * *

A week passed after the order to the two Turks was given and a certain redhead was lying on top of a building up on the plates. He'd been spending the week dodging in and out of sight of the Turks while following up on what little he learned from Reuel. He was tired and at a loss for what to do next. After awhile of lying there unsure of what to do, he slowly pulled himself to his feet and stretched. Looking at his surroundings, he spotted a young female heading down the street with a black suit and a phone to her ear. A Turk.

Slowly he drew closer to her trying to catch what she was saying.

"No, nothing yet," he heard her say. "Yeah, I know, but I ain't no criminal divining rod, G." She gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Yeah, I hear you." As she shut her phone her hand clenched around it as though she were considering throwing it. "Ooh, I swear that short stack is getting on my last nerve!"

Reno couldn't help but smile. For a cold blooded killer, she wasn't bad looking. Aw, who was he kidding? She was hot, even in the Turk get up. He was pretty sure he'd seen her somewhere before, but couldn't remember where exactly. In any case, it wouldn't do him good to get caught. Though he had to say, that device of hers was a beauty. What he could do with one of those…

Suddenly an idea struck him. A crazy, hair-schemed, nutty-nut ball of an idea. Insane enough that it just might work.

Making up his mind, he jumped down to the street and waited in an alleyway that she'd soon be passing. Then as she drew closer he fixed his clothes a bit and strolled right out as casually as possible bumping into her as he went and making her drop her phone.

"Ooph, sorry," he said quickly reaching down and picking it up for her. He brushed it off and held it out to her. "I think you dropped this."

"I did, thanks to you not paying attention," she answered taking the phone and putting it away without looking at it. Her eyes were looking him over suspiciously. "What were you doing in there anyway?"

"I was just on my way home from a pal of mine's place," Reno answered easily putting on his most charming smirk. "But, I don't mind the delay, I get to hit up a really hot lady."

"You should watch what cha' say, boy," she told him, though a smile graced her features. "You're talkin' to a Turk here."

"I know, but I couldn't help it," he said shaking his head. "You know what they say, 'Once you go black you never go back'." He grinned again this time being sure to allow his eyes to roam over her.

"Boy, I outta slap you silly," she said crossing her arms over her chest.

He arched an eyebrow. "Do I get to pick where?"

She released a snort and he could tell she at least found him entertaining as well as gutsy. "Just forget it, kid. It ain't never gonna happen." The female gave him a good look over as well. Especially his hair.

"You saying that while checking me out doesn't make it very convincing," Reno stated with a toothy grin.

"That's some crop of red you got growing there."

"Ya like it?" he asked, running his fingers through it proudly.

Her eyes darkened in suspicion. "Don't find many red heads up here."

"No, you really don't. Of course, it's nothing compared to a buddy of mine. Now that guy has some flaming locks." He scratched at his head. "Strange though… I haven't seen him for days. He just up and vanished into thin air."

"Really, how long ago?" she asked suddenly finding the conversation to be very interesting.

"Uh...about a week," he answered after a moment of thought. "I don't know for sure, it's not like I see him every day or anything. He tends to hang around the slums more than up here. Frankly I don't see what the draw was."

"Hmm... well why don't you tell me what this friend of yours looks like," she stated glancing quickly at the Shinra building once.

"Sure," Reno replied. "But ya got to give me one kiss afterwards." The Turk gave him a look and he just laughed. "He's a little taller than me with a lot more muscle, fly's like the wind when he runs and when he gets mad he tends to scare people off with whatever he can find on hand...usually a pipe. He smacked me with it once, hurt like hell."

"That would explain a few things," she commented, taking a clear shot at his mental capacity.

"So, now that's over, how about that kiss?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, but I already got a man in my life."

"He doesn't have to know."

"You're persistent, I'll give you that." She smiled a little. "Alright, come here."

Reno grinned and stepped forward, only to have her sweep him off his feet. Literally. Next thing he knew, he was flat onto his back with her having one hand on his shoulder while the other held his head in a surprisingly strong grip.

"As much as I hate to say it, kid, I'm gonna have to take you in."

Ah, damn. He'd been afraid something like this would happen. Thankfully, he'd come prepared. He brought his hand up, gripping the lightning materia and willing it to activate. Electricity exploded between them, sending the female flying off of him and landing roughly on the ground several feet away. Reno jumped up, shaking the slight dizziness off. Despite the high powered shock, she was already making an attempt to get back on her feet. However, Reno had been lucky enough to score a paralysis effect, making her muscles jerky and unresponsive.

For an instant, he thought about how easy it'd be to pick her off. One less Turk to hunt for him. He immediately banished the thought. That would only create more problems for him, and make them ten times more determined to find and roast his ass. Plus the idea just left a bad taste in his mouth.

"It's been real, babe," Reno said, saluting her.

Then he ran as hard and fast as he could, descending back down into the slum area below. Once he felt he was far enough away and safe enough for the time, he stopped to catch his breath. It had been a close shave, but well worth the trouble. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the little black device he'd filched while underneath her.

"Alright, first thing's first," Reno thought pulling the back off the phone. He searched through the circuitry, resisting the urge to inspect every inch of it, until he found what he was looking for. He slowly pulled out a very small chip from deep within without messing up anything else. "There you are...now, to leave this somewhere...fun."

Meanwhile, Talli had stopped to lean over her knees trying to catch her breath. She'd chased the boy as best as she could, but he was too fast and moved far too nimbly across the buildings. She'd lost him. Sighing in frustration, she reached into her jacket for her phone to call in the report only to find it missing.

"That little brat! He stole my phone!" she exclaimed rummaging around her clothes in desperate search of the item. "Awe man, they're going to kill me!"

* * *

Very few things ever got under Tseng's skin. He'd learned from a young age not to lose his head when faced with a problem, be it insignificant or substantial. However, as he stood in the second in command's office with his partner, he was beginning to feel irritation towards a certain individual he had never even met before.

Talli had come in, explaining the loss of her PHS. It was just to their misfortune George had been present when she made the report.

"You let him take your PHS!?" George screamed at Talli.

"I didn't LET him," she snapped back at him, in spite of the fact he outranked her. "The kid filched it from me."

"Letting a brat steal from you," George reiterated. "And then you let him get away! Are you a Turk or not?"

The second in command, Alistair, chose that moment to interject. "Chill the hell out, George."

Alistair was a big guy, tall and muscular. On appearance alone he seemed likely to be more than qualified as SOLDIER material. Except everyone in the Turks knew he was far too intelligent for that sort of work. He knew how to take things in stride, and keep a level head. He was what many would term a 'hard ass', but he was fair, a balance he earned a multitude of respect for. Even though he appeared to take most things lightly, he took his job just as seriously as the rest of them did.

George glared up at Alistair but kept silent. He was sure the man was about to show his distaste for her failure in his own way. "Talli, what did you have on your phone?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing important really," she answered trying to remember what all she'd put on it. "Oh...but I did still have those photos I took."

"Which ones?" George demanded.

"The embarrassing shots of everyone," she admitted sheepishly.

"Great, so the moron now knows what we all look like, perfect," the shorter Turk exclaimed angrily.

"Not much of a moron if he could get his hands on something so valuable," Alistair pointed out. This comment of praise of course only served to irritate George further. "This actually might benefit us. The kid's got one of our toys. It's got a tracking device in it. So long as he doesn't find out about that, we should be able to locate him."

"Tch… as if a little street punk would be able to work one of those," George muttered. "I'm more worried about someone ELSE getting their hands on it."

Tseng cleared his throat. "With all due respect, Alistair, I would like to go along with my partner to track this person down."

Alistair's lips drew up in a smile. With his thin mustache and goatee, it only made him look more sinister. "Sure, Tseng. If you guys manage to get that phone back, I'll even forget about giving her any penalties. Just in case though, I'll send Haruto and Karen out with you."

Tseng nodded in understanding before he gestured towards Talli who followed him out the door. "You know, Cissnei and I could head out to find that kid as well," George stated turning towards the second in command.

"Yeah, I know, but the two of you have other responsibilities," Alistair answered. After a moment he grinned at his shorter companion. "Besides, being as young as he is, we may lose our youngest member to his special charms."

"Cissnei's better than that," George muttered.

"I know, believe me I know," Alistair replied with a sigh. "As young as she is, she's saved my ass a time or two. According to Talli though the kid is a very convincing liar and not bad to look at."

The other man grumbled something incoherent before saying, "We can't afford something like that to fall into enemy hands."

"I trust Tseng will get it done," Alistair said confidently. "It's not very often he takes things personal."

* * *

Reno didn't risk going back to his current pad quite yet. Instead, he was kicking back on the suspension wall between sectors 2 and 3. Most people didn't climb up those things, mostly because they were difficult to near impossible to climb, and the drop was enough to kill you. However, along with running all over the slums, he'd developed serious climbing skills over the years. There wasn't a place he couldn't get to if he wanted it badly enough.

As he settled himself amongst the twisted mess of metal, he flipped opened the phone and began fiddling with it. Two minutes in and already he was impressed.

"The old man would have loved to break this sucker down to bits," he thought, scrolling through the different functions.

He paused when he found a listing of pictures that actually had a fairly large file. Curious, he opened the file and almost immediately grinned in triumph. "Oh yeah, jack pot," he thought.

The pictures, he found, were all of people wearing the typical Turk uniform. The first one on the list was of a man much shorter than himself who was leaning over his stubby legs in a stretch. "Heh, so there's a midget."

The next one was of a man in his early 20's sitting on the edge of a bed with black hair hanging in his face looking irate. "Hmm...the guy looks like a tight ass."

Next he saw one of a bald man with food stuck on his chin and another of a man trimming what looked like a goatee.

"Baldy and Goatman."

He next came across a glasses wearing male reading what looked like… something he did NOT want or need to see. "Oh man… I bet I can guess what team Glasses plays for."

The next few pics were much more satisfying. One was of a young auburn haired girl who looked like she was about to sneeze. She was kind of cute. A little young though.

"Ooh, hel~lo." The picture was of a strawberry blonde who also wore glasses. The expression she wore almost reminded him of an angry librarian. And during the time of the photo she looked as though she were about to shoot the picture taker for catching her while she was half dressed. He would definitely have to save that one for later.

The only one of the owner was a picture of her holding the tight ass in a headlock and flashing a peace sign. While she looked happy to be there, he looked more than a little disgruntled.

"Huh… she did say she already had a guy. But there's no way in hell…"

After that he scanned through the rest of the data on the phone, but the only really good information on it was the photos. Well if nothing else at least he'd be able to spot them all from a distance now.

"I don't think I would mind getting caught by Miss Hot Librarian," he said with a chuckle to himself.

* * *

CM: Yes, you can already tell Reno is going to be a source of misery for the Turks. But that's what makes him such good fun. ^^ Just so you know, Talli, George, Karen, and Alistair are all OCs and are of our making. Everyone else is a cannon character. Hope you're enjoying the story so far and look forward to more. :)


	3. Black Market

**Chapter 3: Black Market**

The sun was just starting to rise when Tseng came to a stop next to a large crate. He and his three companions had been following the signal from the phone for hours. They had thought they'd found him in the first location, but as they closed in something shot off carrying the signal with it. Now he finally stood up with the culprit in hand and an exasperated expression on his face.

"Hey, did you finally find him, Tseng?" Talli called out running up to him. Behind her, Haruto and his partner Karen turned to look at them.

"Yes, though not our original target," Tseng answered as he held up a mangy old cat by the collar.

"MROW!" The animal whined, as if demanding to be put back down.

"Aww, poor thing," Talli murmured looking at the thin animal. "It looks abandoned."

Haruto looked at the cat before looking to Tseng. "The tracking chip?"

"Right here," Tseng replied, taking it off the animal.

He noticed a folded piece of paper tied to the cat's leg. After removing that as well, he released the animal. It did not bolt off, but instead just meandered away from them a few feet and began to clean itself. Tseng unfolded the paper and his mouth tightened.

"What is it?" Talli asked, trying to look over his shoulder.

"Our target was kind enough to leave a note."

He showed it to all of them. It was not so much a note but a drawing of a smiley face with its tongue sticking out and flipping the bird.

"How crude." Haruto shut his eyes a shook his head slowly. "Yet he's far more clever than we gave him due credit for."

"So it would seem," Tseng murmured. He folded the piece of paper back up and stuck it inside a small plastic bag. "I'm going to the Department of Public Defense. It's possible we may be able to pull up a file if he left any fingerprints."

"Do you want me to make the report?" the bespectacled man asked as he took the small device.

"No. I will. I started this investigation and I will finish it."

At that, Haruto smiled. "I don't think I've ever seen you this fired up, Tseng."

"Well, I've never felt as if I was being made a fool of by a child," Tseng replied simply. "I will bring the boy in so that we may continue the remainder of our investigation unencumbered."

Haruto nodded that he understood before going over to retrieve his partner who was preoccupied with the stray cat. As he did so, the Wutain Turk pulled out his PHS and called up his superior.

"Tseng, so how'd the hunt go?" Alistair asked on the other end. He sounded slightly amused.

"Not what we were expecting, sir," Tseng answered as calmly as he could manage. "The boy was more intelligent than we gave him credit for. Not only did he find the chip, but he gave himself more than enough time to find a place to hunker down as he tied the GPS chip and a small drawn note to a cat just for us."

A bark of laughter came from the other end of the phone. "That's priceless. Kid's got a semi-decent head on his shoulders. "

Tseng's lips pursed. "Sir, if you would kindly not praise him so."

"Oh, don't get me wrong, Tseng, I'm just as determined to catch the little bastard as you are," Alistair assured him. "Tell you what, I'm gonna send out my candidate to join the hunt. And if things don't progress soon, I'll even join in on the fun. Thanks to the sketch Talli was able to provide us we'll at least have an idea of what we're looking for, given he doesn't decide to change his appearance."

"I doubt he will," Tseng said self-assuredly. "If his actions thus far are any indication, he sees this as a game."

"I'm not surprised," Alistair commented. "Anyway why don't you and Talli take a break from this. You sound like you need a night to get a drink or two and get some real sleep."

"Sir, with all due respect I'm just fine and I don't need to be wasting time in a bar," Tseng spoke seriously into the phone.

Just as he finished speaking, Talli reached over and snatched his phone from him. "Don't worry, sir, I'll make sure he get's loads of rest," she promised excitedly. "I'll even get him to relax a bit with a drink or two." She smiled over at Tseng who was glaring daggers at her.

Alistair gave another laugh. "Good girl, let him know that was an order too. Talk to you both later."

After he hung up Talli shut the phone and handed it back to Tseng. "Orders are orders, sir."

The Wutain took his phone back with a sigh. "Very well, but regardless we are visiting the police department first."

"Yeah, alright. Hey, I know this might sound crazy, but could you call my phone?" He looked at her questioningly and she shrugged. "Who knows? The kid might answer."

Tseng had his doubts, but under her pleading stare he hit the speed dial button and waited. It rang a few times before a male voice came on.

_"Hey there! You've reached the mailbox of 'Suck it, losers!' If you're a hot chick please leave your name, number, and the color of your underwear. If you're a guy, you can just go fuck yourself. Have a nice day!"_

Tseng immediately hung up as soon as the voicemail message ended. He was going to shut that smug brat up no matter what it took.

"So, what did he say?" Talli asked watching the expression of her partner.

"Nothing, it was a new voicemail," Tseng answered slowly calming himself down. "Let's go, I want to see if there's any information to be had on this child."

"Alright," Talli murmured following him out of the building.

About an hour later, the pair arrived at the local police department where Tseng demanded to speak with the chief. After a brief exchange of words, the Turk handed over the note for them to identify any possible fingerprints. Surprisingly it didn't take very long and when the Chief returned to them he held a rather large looking folder in his hand.

"Here's the brat's file," he muttered. "I knew one day he'd bite off more than he could chew. Just make sure when you catch him that I never have to put up with his scrawny ass again."

Tseng thanked the chief and opened the folder. Amazing how one so young could build up such a large file. There was a picture of the red head taken a little less than two years prior.

"Such as a cute kid," Talli commented peering over Tseng's shoulder. "A shame really."

"He's been in and out of jail since the age eleven," He read off. "Mostly for larceny. A few counts of vandalism and resisting arrest." He inspected the details. "The last time he was caught was nearly two years ago."

"So he cleaned up his act?" Talli asked optimistically.

Tseng shook his head. "More likely he became better at not getting caught."

"True," Talli replied thinking about her encounter with him. "He is really fast and seems to know how to move well enough where we can't track him."

"Right, well let's return to Headquarters. I would like to give this information to the Commander," Tseng replied slipping the folder into his jacket.

"Are you sure you're not going to follow your orders to relax?" Talli asked. "Cause you know we could just go to a bar out here first. Plus I promised Alistair I'd take you out."

"I don't need a break," Tseng said firmly.

"Then don't think of it as a break. Think of it as quality bonding time between partners." She clasped her hands together pleadingly. "Please, do it for me?"

Tseng was immune to any sort of pleading, and Talli very well knew that. However, he wasn't above acquiescing to a request every so often. "One hour," he conditioned.

Talli grinned in triumph as she gripped his arm and began leading him outside. "That's all I'm really asking for."

* * *

Reno slept quite well that night as he was sure the Turks wouldn't be able to find him quite yet. When he got up the next morning though he was in for a real surprise. A message had been left on the phone. He decided he might as well find out who it was and what they wanted.

"Hello, boy," the recorded voice was deep but sounded light with amusement. "Considering the parting gift you left for my comrades to find and the new voicemail on the phone you've filched, I'm sure you know exactly what we all look like. That information isn't going to help you out all that much. However, I am calling simply to tell you that our goal in searching for you is not to kill you."

"What a load of crap," Reno thought though he listened to the rest.

"I am willing to over look the pranks you've been handing out to my Turks if you come in yourself. You will not be harmed in anyway if you comply. But mark my words, give us anymore trouble and I won't hold any of them back."

Reno actually had to laugh. No way in hell was he planning on giving himself up. He wasn't stupid. Turks had a reputation for a reason. Anyone who got involved with them or their business ended up dead. He might not have much to live for at the moment, but he wasn't interested in dying either.

A little while later, he slid the hood of his sweater down over his head as he wandered into Sector 4 slum area. It was still really early, so the streets were all but dead. He reached a ram shackled, two story building. His destination and really the last place he should be. He gathered up a few rocks and began chucking them at the second story window with just enough force to bounce off without breaking the rust covered glass.

* * *

Blay knew he'd only gotten at most two hours of sleep when a noise woke him up. He groaned, head pounding and eyes burning from lack of needed sleep. He heard the noise repeated, and past experience recognized it as the sound of something hard hitting his window. When the noise persisted, he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Whoever that is had better be ready for an ass whoopin' if this isn't important," he muttered pulling himself out of bed and heading over to the window. After a few attempts he managed to get it open and stuck his head out the window to see who the annoying culprit was. "What the hell are you doin' here?!" he demanded once he spotted the mane of red hair. "I told you I'm not getting involved in your stupidity!"

"Just let me in, Blay," Reno called up. "I won't be long, just askin' a few things."

Blay stared down at the red head for a few minutes as he battled with himself. He knew the boy well enough to know he wouldn't be leaving until he'd gotten what he wanted. So sighing, he pulled his head back in the window and went down the stairs to let him in.

"This had better be worth it, boy," he grumbled folding his arms across his chest as Reno closed the door behind him. "You know I could seriously get killed just for talking to you."

"I know, man. Don't make me feel any worse than I already do." He didn't even bother taking a load off on the moth eaten sofa. He wasn't planning on staying any longer than needed.

Figuring he wasn't going to get much more sleep, Blay went over and turned on a handmade coffee machine. One of Reno's works actually. "Well, what do you want, kid?"

Reno sighed and pulled the PHS out of his pocket. "I was hoping you knew someone I could hock this off to. Won't do me much good, since I don't have many friends I can call."

The older man leaned against the small kitchen counter. "Save for me, you don't have friends, period."

Reno smirked. "I'm touched, Blay. Really, I think I might cry."

"Shut up," he muttered grabbing the phone and turning it over in his hands. "This is some pretty high tech stuff. Where'd you manage to get your paws on this?"

"Does it really matter? I just want to know who I can sell it to man," Reno answered defensively.

"Where'd you get it, boy?"

"Oh come on, it's not like I pinched it off a Turk or nuttin'."

"You did what?" Blay exclaimed looking back at the phone. "This is a Turk PHS?! What the hell were you thinkin' bringin' somethin' like this here? I'm surprised they ain't knockin' down my door."

"Relax, I took out the GPS before I did anythin' else," Reno assured him. "There's no way they'll be able ta track it now."

Blay rubbed his forehead. "I swear, you're more trouble than you're worth. No one's gonna pay money for a Turk phone."

"That's why ya keep your yap shut and not tell em," Reno muttered rolling his eyes. "Though I should probably do a data clear on it. But I wanted you to get a gander at the pictures on it before I did."

"What for?"

"Trust me, it'll be worth your time."

Blay grudgingly opened the picture file and his face fell into a frown. "Don't tell me…"

"Yup," Reno said proudly. "I'd say those are most if not all the Turks they got on force right now. I thought it'd be good if you knew who to look out for."

"I didn't want to have to look out for anyone, dammit."

"Relax, it's just a precaution," Reno said snatching the phone back and wiping it clean with his shirt. "I covered my tracks so you can sleep knowing your ass isn't on the hit list."

"But for how long," Blay muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Reno asked as he paused at the door.

"Nothing, just get the hell out of here," Blay ordered. "And if you still want to get rid of that phone try Marco in Sector 1. He likes to deal in black market wear and won't ask you any questions."

"Sounds great, thanks, Blay," Reno replied with a wave before heading out the door. At least he had a place to ditch it.

* * *

Reno had never spent too much time in the Black Market of Sector One. Sure, it was probably the best place in the whole city to go to buy or sell just about anything you could think of. But it was also surprisingly difficult to steal anything without the blade of a knife getting friendly with your throat or a bullet taking up permanent residence in your skull. And Reno couldn't deny the possibility of him having a touch of kleptomania. A thrill that had gotten him in plenty of trouble with the police even before he became an orphan.

With all the goods illegal and otherwise drifting around the market, the draw was just too great. He needed to find his buyer and get rid of the phone. Maybe if he got a good enough deal he'd have enough money to get out of Midgar, maybe even off the continent.

After a time, he eventually found the place and quickly sold the phone to the man at the counter. The guy eyed the device carefully and gave Reno a calculating look before finally buying the item. Once it was sold, he headed out the door and quickly started to stroll down the street towards the more populated areas. Along the way, he caught a few suspicious and greedy stares following him and more than once he saw a scantily dressed female eye him.

He ignored all of this while keeping his hand gripped firmly around the bills in his pocket. Just as he reached the more populated streets, he noticed that a few of the thugs he'd spotted along the way were now following him. Thinking they were preparing to mug him, he slowly led them down the street in a seemingly careless manner until he reached an alleyway. Then he quickly turned around and pulled out the pipe in his coat. He'd use the materia in his pocket if it came to that.

There were a grand total of four, three males and a female. Well, he didn't like the idea of beating up on a chick, but if he had to in order to survive then he'd do it. As far as he could see, none of them had any weapons on hand. Odd… not your typical mugger move. Also, they all appeared rather strange. Their posture, the way they positioned themselves, their features... none of it seemed to Reno very… Midgarish.

"I'm in a hurry, fellas," he said keeping it calm, casual, and together. "Could we make this quick? It's free Danish day at the sector 6 bake shop."

"You are person who killed Don Reuel, yes?" one of the smaller guys asked.

Actually… now that he took a good look at them, none of them seemed to be very largely built. Another oddity. Stunted growth happened a lot in the slums but… none of them seemed to be suffering deficiencies of any sort. Also, Reno thought he heard the faintest trace of an accent you didn't hear every day in the slums. He looked closely at each of their faces, noticing the fine features and dark eyes poorly concealed under layers of dirt.

"Depends on who's askin'," Reno answered looking them all over once more. Yeah, he was sure they hadn't been there for very long. "You guys ain't from around here are ya?"

"It does not matter where we from or who we are," the larger of the males declared. "You coming with us."

"Sounds fantastic!" Reno exclaimed grinning at them. "If I was a moron. But, since I'm not I'll just beat you lot to a pulp and be on my way."

The group shared a look all of them wearing smiles of varying degrees of amusement, then the woman looked right at him and shook her head. "You really shouldn't start fights you can't win, brat," she stated coldly.

Reno snickered at the comment before noticing that one of the men had gotten almost within touching distance.

"Save yourself trouble of nursing wounds and get moving," he ordered, his hand coming down on Reno's shoulder.

Reno grabbed the arm and twisted it around before driving his elbow down on the joint where the two bones met. There was an audible crack and the man yelled in pain. The other two men were on him at once. Reno quickly kicked the guy away before dodging several swift and well aimed strikes. One flew right past his head and from the breeze it caused he knew he didn't want to suffer one of those. It took only seconds for him to learn these weren't pushovers… these were trained fighters. He tried making a break for it, but the female had darted behind him and the moment he was facing her she drove the heel of her palm into his chest. The blow stunned him and he seized up half way through taking in a breath. It was suddenly painful to breathe and he wondered if she might have cracked a rib or two.

In his momentary incapacitation, he felt two pairs of hands grab each of his arms and began forcing him to the ground.

He wasn't about to let it end that easily though. He quickly grabbed a hold of the round object in his pocket before he collided with the ground. Even with his lost breath, he was able to activate the materia in his hands knocking the two men off of him in a large blast and minorly shocking himself at the same time.

It took him only a moment to get back to his feet and force air back into his lungs. When he was able to breathe and stand normally, he turned to face his attackers. Surprisingly enough, the blast of lightning knocked the two holding him into the other two momentarily stunning them.

He wasn't about to question his bout of good luck as far as the fight went so he quickly turned tail and disappeared up to the rooftops.

It wasn't until Reno was away from the Sector and had run until he was nearly passed out from exhaustion, that he finally stopped. He realized he seemed to be doing this a lot lately. Running for his life. He wondered if that was all he had to look forward to the rest of his life. He stopped in a gutter to rest, using the Cure materia the heal up his physical injuries. It also helped re-energize him a little, allowing him to think more clearly.

Who the hell were those guys anyway? They weren't from Shinra as far as he knew. No… they were foreigners. But why the hell would they be after him?

He sighed fingering the thunder materia in his pocket. That was the second time Shady Larry's memento had gotten him out of a jam. While Reno wasn't one to believe in angels or ghosts, the old man sure seemed to be looking out for him even in death. Still, having the Turks on his ass was one thing, having two parties hunting him down? Forget it.

He'd made a nice sum of money from pawning off that phone. Maybe it was time he finally left Midgar. The idea was both exciting and a little nerve wracking. Midgar was everything he knew, the whole city was his backyard, his playground. Outside, he would only have himself to rely on.

He rubbed his head, wondering what he should do. That's when he noticed something was missing.

Shady Larry's goggles. He must have lost them during the scuffle with those four from before. He couldn't just leave Midgar without them. Okay, so he could do it, he just really didn't want to. Those and the lightning materia were all he had left of the old man.

Resigning himself to the idea that he had to return to the place where the fight happened, he took a little more time to rest up and heal his injuries before taking the longest route back he could think of. Hopefully the goons had already left trying to find him.

* * *

CM: I am so happy people are liking this story so far. Please guys, keep letting us know how we're doing! For the next chapter, we get to meet someone we all know especially well. :P Don't miss it!


	4. Head of Concrete

**Chapter 4: Head of Concrete**

As always the slums were rank from being trapped under the plates as well as the lack of ability for personal hygiene. Rude didn't mind his line of work that much, but he didn't like it when he was sent down below to patrol. Currently, his shift wasn't anything too demanding; just the usual keep an eye out for anything suspicious with the added chore of having to keep an eye out for any sign of the red head who'd been escaping Tseng's grasp.

Until now, he hadn't found anything and he was sure it was going to end up being a rather boring night; that is until he received word about a materia going off near sector 1.

Sector 1 was the oldest of the slums, and thus the most run down and corrupt. Needless to say he was sorely out of place; you didn't see a bald headed man wearing a suit and sunglasses very often down below. But he passed through without any trouble, only receiving a few dirty looks on his way. He wasn't a stranger to deprivation, so he could sympathize with the state of affairs the slums were in. He didn't, however, agree with some of the methods people used to try and escape that deficit. Which was why he disliked going into the slums; it showed some of the worst sides of the human being. And it reminded him of what he had done, and was doing, to escape all of that.

When he got to the general area of where the incident happened, he did a little investigating, asking some of the locals if they'd noticed anything strange. Many of course were reluctant to share details.

One shopkeeper in particular however seemed willing to share information for a price.

"Ah, yes, I wasn't there when it happened but I did hear about it. It happened shortly after a young man left followed by a group of people. Seemed like a mugging of some sort. Those things happen often down here, you know."

"What was he doing here?" the younger man asked.

"Couldn't say."

That was doubtful. Rude's face tightened into a frown of disbelief, and he knew he might need to spend a little more. Before he could, however, the shopkeeper seemed to think twice.

He cleared his throat nervously. "Ah, yes, he came to my shop to sell me something…"

"Show me."

The shopkeeper swallowed the lump in his throat but decided to oblige and quickly went into the back to retrieve the item. "This is it, honest," he explained putting a small black phone on the counter. "He seemed eager to get rid of it and there was nothing inside of it, so I bought it without question."

The young man looked at the object before picking it up and taking a closer look. On the back of the phone, in an almost invisible ink, he spotted a simple design that indicated the owner.

"I'm taking this with me," he stated calmly pocketing the phone.

"You can't just take that!" the shopkeeper exclaimed trying to reach for it. "I bought it which means it now belongs to me!"

The young man silently reached into his other pocket and pulled out a wad of gil before tossing it on the counter. "That cover it?"

"Oh, yes, thank you, sir," the man said quickly, his disposition taking a 180. "I hope it's to your liking."

"Which direction did he go?" he asked, ignoring the man's false gratitude.

The man pointed in a direction leading out of the main area. "I last saw him heading in that direction."

Rude nodded in thanks before heading in the direction indication. At least Talli would be happy to have her phone back. Though from the sound of things the kid had wiped it clean. Odd… considering the measures Reeve had taken to secure the devices.

He silently trudged down the street keeping his eyes open towards every person he passed along the way. He wasn't about to let himself get jumped down there, that'd be embarrassing for a Turk, even if he was still just a trainee.

As he continued down the street, he finally came across an empty alleyway that held signs of a materia being activated on the ground a few feet in.

Taking a moment to check the area for possible ambush, he stepped into the space and kneeled down next to the spot of discharge. It appeared to be a lightning materia, a high powered one. Must have been the one Talli mentioned that he used.

But if that were the case, why go off so close to the ground? Why use an attack powerful enough to leave behind signs? Something more had happened in that alley he was sure of it.

As he searched around, something else caught his eye. It appeared to be a set of goggles. He picked them up off the ground and inspected them. The lenses were tinted enough to protect from bright lighting. There was a bit of wear and tear on them suggesting they were far from brand new, but they were still in decent condition. Hadn't Talli mentioned the kid wearing a pair of goggles on his head? Odd…

Suddenly he heard rushed footsteps on gravel and caught an attack out of the corner of his eye. He threw up his arm in time to block a kick aimed for his head. His attacker backed off immediately after and the bald headed man got into a defensive stance, readying himself for another attack.

He saw to his surprise a scrawny red headed teen standing in the mouth of the alley. The bald man frowned; he hadn't even heard the kid approach.

"Hey, buddy," the kid said as if he HADN'T just tried to give the older man a concussion. "Mind handing those over?"

Rude raised an eyebrow inspecting the lack of headwear on the redhead before glancing down at the goggles still clasped in his large hands. Then it clicked, these were the goggles that Talli had mentioned him wearing. Whatever had happened in the alley before had caused him to lose them and now he's back for them. He had a way to draw the kid out.

"No," he answered slipping the goggles into his pocket. "Get them yourself."

He watched the kid frown at him and knew he'd struck a chord. Whatever the kid was or whatever it was he wanted to do, he obviously wasn't going anywhere until he had those goggles.

"I ain't gonna ask again, buddy," the kid stated, the smirk back in place. "Hand em over."

Rude didn't answer. He had no reason to. It was time to call in the others and let them know he found him. As long as he had the goggles the kid was going to go after him. Slowly he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone before dialing a number, making sure to keep his eye on the kid in front of him.

The kid scowled, seeing what he was doing. "Like hell you will…" He reached into his own pocket and pulled out a small hand held object before pressing a button on it.

Rude frowned, as whatever the device was had seemingly done nothing at all. However when he looked back down at his phone, the screen was malfunctioning and a few seconds later it went completely black. He tried pressing a few buttons but soon found it was no use. It was dead.

The kid tossed the device up and down in his hands a few times before pocketing it with a self satisfied grin. "Fried PHS, it's what's for breakfast."

Rude grunted before putting the useless phone back into his pocket. It looked like he'd just have to drag the kid in on his own.

"Not so tough now that you can't call your pals huh," the kid taunted grinning in mild triumph. "So how about ya just hand it over already."

Rude looked him over for a moment before slipping into a fighting stance. From what he'd heard from the others he couldn't take the kid lightly and wanted to make sure to remain on guard.

The kid hesitated for a moment at the move Rude made. He knew that Turks were tough and this time he couldn't get the drop on him. His hesitation only lasted a moment though as he suddenly shot forward, a metal bar in his hand as he moved.

Even though he'd heard the firsthand testament from Talli, Rude was nevertheless surprised at the speed the kid possessed. He weaved out of the line of the downward swing aimed for his head, the metal bar clipping him on the shoulder. The red head pivoted, going for another swing. This time Rude was prepared. He caught the metal bar before it could hit its mark. Rather than let it go, the kid gripped on tight and used Rude's arm as leverage to swing his leg up and kick Rude in the side of the head. The bald Turk staggered a bit, letting go of the weapon and allowing the kid to hop back a little, nursing his foot.

"Sonuvabitch! What's your head made of, concrete?"

Rude shook off the blow. Lucky for him, while the kid had speed, his combat skills weren't expert. He also seemed to have a scrawny build, which made his overall strength slightly above average at best. Still, this red head was no stranger to fighting.

Rude didn't give the kid much time to recover as he ran forward, fist cocked and ready to fly. He wasn't as fast as the redhead, but he didn't really need to be. All he had to do was watch, and as it was he was sure he didn't have to do that for much longer either.

As his fist flew at the kid's head, he quickly ducked and sidestepped the bald man ignoring the throb still emanating from his toe. As he did so, another fist came at him from the opposite direction as the bald man spun around just missing the kid's side. Then the kid brought the pipe up as fast as he could hoping that he'd just found an opening to the correct pocket. As the pipe flew towards the bald man, the kid's hand flew towards the bald man's pocket aiming for a snatch and grab of the goggles. Before he could reach it though, the bald man had ducked under the blow and landed a solid hit into the redhead's gut effectively doubling him over as he jumped back a few feet.

The red head let out a stream of swears, and he got a look that Rude didn't see on most teenagers. It was a look of calmed resignation; he would either succeed in his goal, or die trying.

"Alright then," the kid muttered, readjusting the hold on his weapon. "Time for round two."

Rude stood at the ready, keeping on guard for any move the kid might make. The kid moved forward and Rude prepared to counter another attempt at a swing. Then suddenly the kid flung the metal pipe to the ground where it bounced and clanged on the concrete. Rude was momentarily stunned, and in that briefest moment of distraction, the red head seemed to disappear.

"Shoot…."

Rude threw both arms up to guard his sides but the moment he did the kid reappeared right in front of him with a smile.

"Well, howdy."

The kid's fist shot out and caught Rude square in the throat, crippling his wind pipe. Rude staggered a bit, trying not to focus on the fact his breath was hitching and send his body into a panicked state of suffocation. He needed to keep focused on the kid… who had disappeared again. He turned and dodged the second strike that had come.

"Heh, so you figured it out?" Reno said with a laugh. "You really are a tough one."

Damn… the little bastard was utilizing his blind spot.

Rude quickly searched through his options noting that with the kid's speed made it so that any move he made to defend while the kid was invisible was easily avoided by simply changing directions. So, he'd just try something else.

So, while trying to take in lots of short breaths to keep from passing out from lack of air Rude threw his hands back up in a defensive stance. He knew that any fast movements may cause him to temporarily render him unable to breath, and he was sure his opponent knew that as well. Luckily for him though, his opponent wasn't going anywhere, just yet.

As he waited with his eyes focused squarely on the kid, the boy easily slipped into his blind spot once more. This time though, he didn't move to deflect anything and instead waited for the blow to hit.

As soon as he felt something connect with his side, he wrapped one arm around the attacking limb and his other fist came down connecting solidly with what felt like a jaw.

As soon as he connected, he released the arm and the boy flew back from the force landing hard on the ground. Rude watched as the boy slowly pushed himself back into a standing position shaking the bugs out of his head before turning back towards him with a triumphant grin on his face. Rude was confused by this as the boy held one hand to his jaw, which was probably gonna be sore for a while, but in his other hand he spotted the pair of goggles clutched tightly in his fingers.

"That was fun," Reno said with a wincing smile. "I hate to admit it, but you got me good. Still, looks like I won."

Rude was mildly perturbed at how the red head's mind worked. It was almost as though this whole thing had been just a game to him, rather than a possible life or death struggle. Then again the fact the kid would be willing to risk his freedom for a pair of goggles was ridiculous in of itself. Rude actually found himself curious as to why he would go through such lengths.

At any rate, he needed to act quickly. The red head's goal had never been to defeat Rude, just get back what belonged to him. Now he was free to bolt. The kid seemed to guess what was on Rude's mind, because he hadn't lowered his guard yet either. Rude wondered how the kid could smile so wide when his cheek was already beginning to swell.

"Alright, now that keep away is over," the red head stated, slipping the goggles around his neck. "Up for a little game of 'catch me if you can'?"

Rude grunted a bit as he continued to watch the kid carefully. His airway was finally starting to clear up, but he was sure if the kid bolted he'd have no way of catching him. Thinking he'd finally recovered enough to do something more, he shot forward attempting to close the gap, or at least block the kid's escape route only to have him bolt for the building wall. He watched the kid quickly shimmy up the nearest pole managing to reach the top of the building in a matter of seconds before dishing out a mocking salute and disappearing over the edge.

Rude looked the side of the building over and decided there was no way he'd be able to follow the impressive display and instead tried to head the kid off. Not long after, he stopped his pursuit as he'd lost his quarry completely.

He looked the buildings surrounding him over carefully and sighed in frustration. For an untrained kid, he had an impressive move set, and even more irritating, his speed allowed him to escape for a second time. His superiors weren't going to be happy about it, especially when they learn about the phone. He'd only really had it for a few weeks too.

* * *

At around five in the morning, Tseng was sitting in one of the work rooms at Shinra fighting off a headache that had been building since the night before. In front of him were several files and notes spread out for his viewing. He'd been staring at them for an hour now.

While their newest recruit managed to retrieve Talli's phone, as well as encounter their quarry, the red headed deviant not only ended up rendering both hers and Rude's phones useless, but managed to slip away once more. After Talli's failed attempt at capturing him, Tseng had resorted to collecting as much information he could about the kid wherever he could find it. He'd managed to learn quite a lot, but so far none of it was bringing him any closer to finding his target.

Tseng also had a very unsettling feeling from Rude's testament. The boy had returned to a scene of a fight, one unrelated to them, for an item that was precious to him after making a hefty sale. It was possible the boy might have finally found enough sense to leave Midgar. If he managed that, their jobs of finding him would become even more difficult.

He rubbed his eyelids a few moments, trying to sort through everything he'd learned while simultaneously ignoring the throbbing in his temples.

"You're here awfully early."

The soft female voice came from the petite brunette standing in the doorway wearing the same uniform as him.

"Good morning, Cissnei," Tseng greeted.

"Goodnight, you mean. I just got done with my patrol." She released a small yawn. "But what are you doing here so early? Don't tell me you were here all night."

"Not the entire night, no" Tseng answered getting up from his chair. He walked over to the coffee maker to pour himself a cup. However, his night hadn't been exactly restful either, so he had come in a few hours early.

"Alistair thinks you should take a break from all this."

Tseng looked at her. "Is that an order?"

She smiled. "More like a friendly suggestion."

"In that case I decline."

Cissnei shook her head. "You're going to end up working yourself into the ground one of these days," she sighed. "Everyone needs to sleep sometime and I mean more than just a few hours of it." She'd amended her statement as Tseng opened his mouth to argue that he did indeed sleep. She walked farther inside and took a seat watching him drink his coffee. "You know, George'll probably have a field day when he learns that the Tseng lost to this boy because he was running on a few hours sleep and loads of coffee."

"Believe me, that won't happen," Tseng answered returning to his seat and starting back on the papers. "I'll admit this boy is far more than I gave him credit for at the beginning, but the moment I find him he won't be going anywhere."

"Going anywhere? You make it sound as if you think the boy is going to be leaving the city," Cissnei chuckled. "You and I both know though, that it's nearly impossible for anyone in the slums to leave."

Tseng sighed, but he had to agree it was difficult for the lower level dwellers to depart. But the boy was not a normal slum rat. After selling the stolen phone it was highly possible the boy was indeed trying to gather money for a departure. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of any possible way of finding him before he took off. Maybe...he was just far too close to the situation to think clearly though.

"If you were leaving on a trip, and you knew there was a possibility you wouldn't be able to return, is there anything you would do before your departure?"

Cissnei thought about it for a few moments. "Well… I would probably want to visit some of my favorite places, as well as the people who were important to me."

Tseng brooded over her answer while looking over the many notes he'd collected over the days. One iota in particular caught his attention and he stood up. "I think I'll take that break after all."

* * *

It was midday when Reno finally made it back to the sector 4 slums. He shifted the pack on his back slightly and made sure the money in his pocket was fully intact. As a semi-klepto himself, he knew exactly how thieves thought and what they went for. He wasn't about to allow himself to become just another victim. Today he was leaving Midgar forever, and nothing was going to stop him.

As he walked along the dingy streets, a few people who recognized him gave a small wave and a few, condolences. He accepted them both before continuing on his way, pausing only when he reached the two story crapfest he once called home. Ignoring the front door, he slipped into the gated area and made his way over to the side of the house stopping in front of the marked grave.

At first, he considered leaving the worn out goggles there with their owner, but he couldn't bring himself to. Instead he sank to his knees and lightly touched the ground before him. At first he simply silently spoke to the man buried beneath it. Then partway through his goodbyes, he noticed the dirt didn't feel quite right.

Glancing down at it, he almost recoiled when he realized the dirt he'd been touching was fresher than what was around him. Which meant that after the burial, someone had disturbed the area.

"Those bastards dug him up?!" he internally exclaimed leaping to his feet.

Then Reno was struck with another horrifying ramification. What If they had taken the body? He was more than half tempted to check, but he reasoned with himself. Even if they had, what could he do then? Storm the Shinra building and demand they return it? Yeah, that'd work like a real grade A charm. He sighed in frustration. No… at this point, ignorance was bliss for him.

"Why did you have to fucking die, old man?" he muttered.

Reno wanted to stay longer, maybe even share one last drink with the geezer. However, if the Turks had come sniffing around here, chances were high they'd be back. Especially if they found out he used to live and work here.

He brushed the dirt off his knees and straightened up. "Well, I'm off."

The red head readjusted the bag on his shoulder before leaving the property. He knew it would be in his best interest just to make his great escape now. However, there was one last place he wanted to visit before he did.

Across the messy street hidden away in shadow, a female was making a call. "Hey there, Tseng? You were right. The kid actually showed up." She involuntarily released a yawn. She'd been staking out at that place since 6 am. "Do you want me to try and grab him?"

_"No, just follow him, but keep your distance. Don't let him know you're there. If he deviates from the anticipated path notify me immediately."_

"Alright, I'll get to it then," Talli answered.

_"And Talli?"_

"What?"

_"….Thank you."_

Talli smiled. "Shoot, what are partners for?"

* * *

CM: Well now, looks like Tseng's got a plan, but whether or not it will work still remains to be seen. Not a bad first meeting for the future inseparable duo, though something tells me they're not going to be best buds any time soon. :P Hope you enjoyed the chapter and will enjoy seeing what happens to our lovable red head next.


	5. Whole New Meaning

**Chapter 5: Whole New Meaning**

About an hour later, Reno walked through the doors of an old diner on the plates. A few people sat at the booths enjoying their meals while a man behind the main bar turned and greeted the red head.

"Haven't seen you around for a long time boy," he called out finishing cleaning up the glass in his hand. "How's that old man of yours doing?"

"Up in the clouds for real this time," Reno answered plopping down in one of the booths himself. "Has been for a week now."

"Sorry to hear that," the owner murmured coming around the bar to sit across from him. "His little inventions saved my business up here. Anything I can do for ya now?"

"Just get me the usual," Reno answered evenly. "I'm taking off as soon as I'm finished."

"Alright." The man got to his feet and headed into the back.

Not long after he came back out with a waffle covered in the most unusual assortment of toppings you've ever seen. Four different types of syrup, one for each section, some strawberries, a bit of whipped cream, Bananas along the edge and a cherry sitting at the very top. "Here ya are kid. And good luck on the outside."

"Thanks, man," Reno said with a nod. He picked up his fork and knife and started to dig in. He'd just finished with his first quarter when he heard someone approach the table.

"Pardon me."

Reno looked up with a mouthful of waffle and he just about spit it out all over the place. The man standing in front of him was one of the Turks.

The guy wasn't dressed in uniform, but it wasn't that hard to recognize him, since you didn't see too many Wutains in Midgar. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and he was dressed like your typical business man. The red head's heart began to race and he began devising a possible escape route.

The man gestured to the seat across from Reno. "Is this seat taken?"

Reno just about went slack jawed, a measure of how dumbfounded he was. Did the guy not recognize him? Impossible. Reno glanced at the empty seat. Since this place was almost always busy, it wasn't uncommon for total strangers to share a table. Still… eating lunch with a Turk wasn't exactly how he'd planned on spending his last day in Midgar.

Somehow he managed to keep himself in check as he slowly swallowed and shrugged before returning to his plate. The Wutain took his answer as a do whatever you want and sat down across from him. As soon as he did, the guy from the bar walked over and took his order. There was no conversation between the two as the Turk waited patiently for his order to arrive. Moments later, the man returned and placed a simple cup of coffee onto the table before walking off. By this time, Reno had finished his second section.

"Quite a quaint little place isn't it," the man before him began after taking a few sips of his drink. "Small, but clean. The coffee isn't bad either."

Reno didn't answer deciding to ignore him instead. Although he didn't believe it to be in the realms of possible, he hoped that the Turk hadn't as of yet recognized him. Still, even without that, he had to wonder how they even knew where he'd be. The place was far too small to be nearly good enough for the tastes of a Shinra Turk.

It was also highly unlikely this was just a happy little coincidence. Whatever, he was just going to finish his food and go. If the guy did recognize him and was here to take him in, it was likely he was going through all of this to avoid raising a scene. But then why let Reno know? Why not just camp outside until Reno came out and then get the jump on him?

"Are you a mechanic?"

"Huh?" Reno was caught off guard by the question.

"Those goggles you're wearing," the man said, staring just above Reno's face. "They're darkly tinted, something one normally wears when working with mechanic tools to avoid vision impairment."

Reno shook his head. "They're just there for decoration," he muttered stuffing another large chunk of waffle in his mouth to avoid talking anymore.

"So a memento of sorts," the man continued watching him closely.

"Naw, it just looks cool," Reno answered. He figured if he stayed silent that time the guy would simply take it as a yes. Besides, he was almost finished...perfect.

"Will you use them at all on your trip?" he asked motioning with his head towards the bag sitting on the floor. "I'm sure they'll protect your eyes well enough if you're riding a bike."

"No," Reno answered feeling a huge weight fall into the pit of his stomach. If they knew he was leaving the city already, chances are he won't be getting far. "It's just another delivery." He nearly choked on his last bite as he realized what he'd said. It'd been his usual answer when anyone asked what he was carrying...now he just admitted he was a delivery boy to the enemy.

"That's interesting. What are you delivering, if you don't mind my asking?"

Reno forced a toothy smile. "Sorry, can't tell ya. Customer confidentiality and all that."

The man gave a slow nod. "I understand perfectly."

The red head washed down his last bite with several gulps of water before pushing the plate away from him. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shouldered his bag, trying not to look like he was in too big of a hurry.

"Well, I gotta run," he said getting up from the table. "Enjoy your coffee."

He walked as calmly and evenly as he could away from the table, paid his bill, and then walked out all without glancing back at the table where he'd been sitting.

As soon as the boy got up, Tseng did as well finishing off the last of his coffee. He waited patiently for the boy to pay (which he thought was rather gracious of him) and paid for his drink as well.

By the time his bill was paid, the doors to the diner had opened and closed and Tseng glanced out the window just in time to see the boy tearing down the street as fast as he could.

The Turk smiled lightly to himself as he walked casually out the door turned and watched as Talli suddenly stepped out of the alley the boy was trying to dash down. He skidded to a halt and began to fly in another direction. Tseng found his attempt to flee to be rather amusing as he slowly walked in the direction of the fleeing boy, pulling out his handgun as he went and checking that he had it fully loaded.

When he was fully satisfied, he looked up once more to see the boy reaching the edge of a building. Remembering what was reported by Rude, that the boy could shimmy up the side of a building rather easily, he trained his weapon on the retreating boy and pulled the trigger.

There was a bang followed by a yell as the kid fell over. Tseng put his gun away before calmly making his way to the boy. Talli was there first to make sure the kid didn't try another run for it.

The boy was on the ground, clutching his lower back area and shouting profanities. "You asswipe!" he shouted at Tseng. "You dirty shit-titting sonuvabitch!"

"It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'pain in the ass', doesn't it?" Tseng knew he shouldn't feel as gratified as he did but, this was probably the highlight of his entire week.

"Oh, Tseng, you didn't…" Talli said looking both astonished and proud.

Reno , however, wasn't about to get taken in without a fight. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his lightning materia. At this point it was his last hope of escape. The two were close enough together he might be able to get them both in one shot.

Talli's eyes widened a little when she saw what he was doing, but the guy just calmly observed him. Reno activated the materia, sending a bolt of lightning their way. However, rather than knocking them back, or doing any kind of apparent damage, it just seemed to dissipate.

"The same tricks will not work on the Turks more than once," Tseng told him easily as he bent down and forced the kid's arms behind his back where Talli locked them together. "Elemental materia is extremely easy to counter when you know it's coming."

Talli laughed a little as she realized her partner was actually taunting him. She shook her head now knowing the full extent of how personally he was taking the boy's ability to slip through their fingers.

Tseng moved to force Reno to his feet, but the boy had other plans. He may not be able to use any of his weapons against them, but he still refused to be taken just yet.

Instead of going where Tseng wanted him to, he planted one foot on the ground and used it to launch himself headfirst into Talli knocking her back. Then he turned to knock down the other Turk only to find a green orb pointed at his face before everything just went black.

* * *

When Reno came to, he was dimly aware he was lying facedown on a cool, stiff, and uncomfortable surface. He blearily opened his eyes, and had to shake his head and blink several times to clear up his vision. As he moved, he felt a sharp pain in his lower back. It took a moment for him to collect his thoughts and recall what had last happened. He'd been shot, then after putting up a struggle he'd lost consciousness. This alone was enough to tell him he'd undoubtedly been captured.

Fuck.

He placed his hands underneath him and pushed himself up, careful not to aggravate his wound too much. It was then he notice he'd been draped across a table that had two vacant chairs on either side. Geez, the fuckers couldn't even give him a real bed?

Whatever they had knocked him out with was quick to fade and he took a glance around. He was lying on a table in a very boring room, painted a dull off-white with a single light fixture made the room appear even more dull. What a let down. On one side of the room was a darkened window he couldn't see through. One way glass, no doubt. He was almost positive there were people on the other side watching him. There was probably a camera hidden somewhere too, if this was anything like the crime movies he'd watched when he was a kid.

He got to his feet and thought better of sitting down. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that they wanted him to crumble and tell all; why else throw him into an interrogation room.

He glanced around the room one more time, noticing something small in a single corner of the room. Camera located...so they wanted to see a show before going in to actually talk to him. He didn't want to disappoint too badly.

He took a moment to crack his knuckles and pop his neck before he flipped the bird at the small object and walked over to the one way mirror, being sure not to show how much pain the bullet was putting him in. He looked at the glass and put his hands around his eyes trying to see if that would help him see through it.

He sighed when he realized he couldn't see anything. Then an idea struck him and he started breathing heavily on the glass fogging up a small area.

* * *

"You're telling me THIS is what's been giving us so many problems?"

On the other side of the glass, Tseng stood with Talli, George, and Cissnei watching as the boy began writing obscene messages on the window. He was impressed at how well the teen was taking to being captured and held. Either that or this was a clever way to take his mind off the fact.

"Don't be fooled, George," Talli warned him. "He may just look like your average street punk, but he's got smarts."

"I don't believe this," George muttered rubbing his eyes. "This… this brat, caused us all of this trouble? It's beyond insulting."

While Tseng partly agreed with George, he did grudgingly have to give the boy credit. He was what Alistair had termed a 'clever little bastard'. He took out his phone and began to dial their second in command.

"What are you doing?" George asked him.

"Alistair asked to be notified once the boy had awoken," Tseng replied holding the phone to his ear. "He was very insistent on it."

"Why not just go in there and started squeezing the little brat for information?" the shorter Turk demanded pointing towards the room where the kid had started breathing on the glass.

"An order is an order, George," Tseng answered easily as he waited for their superior to pick up the phone.

"Ah, George just wants a crack at the kid first," Talli laughed. "Can you really blame him? He has been one of the biggest pains we've ever dealt with."

"I think he knows we're over here," Cissnei said all of a sudden and pointed at the window.

They all turned to the window and saw that he'd written something in the fogged up window. It read, "Suck it, Losers!"

"Screw it, I'm going in there and finding out what that brat knows," George declared before leaving the room.

Cissnei gave a soft sigh, watching him leave. "Good luck."

Tseng considered stopping the other Turk when the phone picked up.

"_Hey, Tseng. What's going on?_"

"The boy is awake, sir," Tseng informed, watching through the glass to see George enter the room with the teen. "George has already taken it upon himself to question him."

_"Figured he might,"_ the senior Turk murmured. _"Alright, I'll be right down. Make sure George doesn't get too carried away."_

"Understood." Tseng hung up the phone and continued to observe.

"How long do you think he'll last?" Cissnei asked out loud.

Talli laughed. "Who? The kid, or George?"

The younger female looked to the older curiously. "What do you mean?"

The older female smiled. "Just watch."

* * *

Reno grinned at the little message he'd written and wondered how long it would take for them to come in and reprimand him for calling them losers. He wasn't too disappointed as he suddenly heard the door open.

He slowly turned to face whichever Turk decided to talk to him. He held back a laugh when he saw George enter. "Wow, I guess you guys are _short_ on manners since you wouldn't even get me a _little_ bit of comfort."

The red head didn't even have to approach the guy to guess he was only roughly five feet tall, which was a head less than what Reno currently stood at. The guy had mousy brown hair, a round face, and mismatched blue and green eyes.

"Yeah, kid, laugh it up," the brunette muttered, glaring at the red head. "I'm gonna ask you some questions and I better get some straight answers. Otherwise I'll have the pleasure of showing you what a twisted pretzel feels like."

"You seem in an awfully big hurry," Reno replied with a grin. "_Short_ on time, are we?"

The Turk's expression turned venomous and he pointed to the chair. "Sit," he ordered dangerously.

"I'll stand," Reno replied leaning against the wall with his hands behind his head. "I'm not really keen on being squished by an ant."

Reno could practically see the steam rising out of the Turk's ears as he withheld his anger. "Fine then don't sit," he muttered shoving the chair he had grabbed onto into the table knocking it over. "But you're still going to tell me everything I want to know, starting with your name."

"Just call me R," Reno answered smugly. "It's a _little_ _short_ I know, but it works."

"What do you know about Shady Larry," George demanded trying hard to keep his anger in check.

"Is that why you guys are chasing me? Man and here I thought it was because I did a _little_ something wrong," Reno replied looking George over.

"Of course you did something, you little punk! You murdered Don Reuel and dozens of his men!" George exclaimed angrily. "Now explain how you know Shady Larry and why you'd want revenge for his death?"

"Don Who and Shady What?" Reno asked looking nonplussed. "I'm sorry, it's hard to hear you from all the way down there."

* * *

In the observation room, Talli was having a hard time resisting the urge to laugh. "That kid is really something else. I like him."

"Poor George," Cissnei murmured. She knew how sensitive he was about his height. Normally he could deal with the jokes, but this boy was on a real tear.

The door opened and everyone glanced up to see Alistair walk in. "How's the interrogation going?" he asked them.

"We've yet to discover anything," Tseng answered stiffly.

Alistair turned to watch George and the kid for a few moments, listening in on the exchange. When Reno dropped yet another jab at George's height, Alistair released a chuckle. "Ha… that's actually pretty funny. I never thought of that one."

Tseng cleared his throat. "Sir…"

"Yeah, I know," Alistair replied with a wave. "Get Haruto to take over the interrogation before George snaps that kid's neck."

"Sir, I think Haruto is relaxing at the moment. It is his break time." Cissnei told him.

"Oh, I think he'll be more than happy to take care of this one," the man replied with a smile.

* * *

Back in the interrogation room, Reno was having the time of his life. No matter what the Turk asked him he simply avoided it and turned it into an insult without answering a thing. What he enjoyed most was the fact that he was learning more about how much they knew about him and the incident than they were about him. Some Turk.

He also noticed the guy was getting increasingly angry and was sure that the guy was actually going to attack him when the door opened again.

"George, that's enough. _He_ wants to talk to you for a bit," the person who entered stated as he walked inside. Reno suppressed a shudder when he realized who it was. The guy had dark hair and wore glasses, though his most noticeable feature was the deep scar on the side of his face. "I'm taking over from here."

George silently stared at the other Turk for a moment before glaring back at Reno . "Yeah… alright." He turned and walked past the taller Turk out of the room.

Haruto shut the door behind him and sighed before turning to look at Reno . "So…" he said, azure eyes taking in every inch of the red headed boy making him fidget in discomfort. "You're our little fugitive, are you?"

"Okay, I'm gonna say it now," Reno said abruptly. "I ain't interested."

One of the man's eyebrows lifted ever so slightly. "Pardon?"

"Look, I may not have highly accurate gaydar," Reno said casually. "But I know the fuckability appraisal look when I see it, and I'm telling you now, I don't bat for the home team."

Granted, he wasn't 100% sure if the guy was really pitching for the other team or not. For all he knew that photo could have been a prank. But if it was enough to get the guy worked up like Georgie-Porgie, he was gonna roll with it.

Rather than take offense, the man smiled. "Hmm, is that so?"

Reno was surprised when the man simply approached him very slowly with an unreadable smile on his face. "I can be very persuasive," he stated as he continued to get closer. "You may just change your mind."

"Woah, woah," Reno said pressing himself closer to the wall to avoid the man getting closer to him. He'd made the joke but he didn't think this would happen.

Before he could say anything more the Turk took a very firm grip on his arm and whispered seductively. "I could make you scream in the best of ways."

"So what, you're a pedophile now?!" Reno asked only just managing to mask how much it freaked him out.

The Turk simply chuckled and took a step back. "So you admit you're a child then," he stated returning to the table and lifting the toppled chair. Reno just watched him retreat, completely speechless for the first time. "Now why don't we put all this nonsense behind us and get down to business. Oh, and if you decide not to answer me, I can always come up with something else you can do with that mouth of yours."

Reno's typical response under normal circumstances would have run along the lines of a 'fuck you' or 'blow me'. In this situation, however, he didn't want to chance it, worried the guy might actually take the invitation to heart. He couldn't even sit down because he had a freakin' bullet in his ass. So instead he crossed his arms over his chest, hunched himself against the wall, and sulked.

"Why don't you bastards just kill me now and get it over with?" Reno muttered.

"So you're saying we should reward you with an easy exit for causing us problems?" Haruto asked as he sat down and got comfortable. "I think not. Besides, you seemed so full of fight, until just now. Why suddenly so ready to die?"

"I'm not, jackass," Reno snapped. "But I'm not stupid enough to think that once I've answered all your questions you're gonna shake my hand and send me on my merry-fucking-way."

That and there were some things he could not and would not talk about.

"Well no," Haruto admitted easily. "You probably won't just be released. However, as of right now we have no reason to kill you either. Now let's start with something simple. What is your full name, R?"

"What couldn't even find that out these past couple of weeks?" Reno scoffed with a smirk going across his face. The look Haruto gave him made him shift in discomfort. "Hey, I don't just go givin' out my name to just anyone willy nilly you know."

Haruto looked him over for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough. I am Haruto."

Reno was shocked by the guy's compliance but decided to go along with it for now. "It's Reno."

* * *

"That's our Haru," Alistair said with a small smile. "Ever the diplomat. You might try learning a thing or two from him, George."

George replied with a disdainful grunt from the corner of the room. "I don't get why we're even doing this. It's obvious he's the culprit."

"Even if he is, I want the full story," the older man said simply. "You can tell just by looking at him this kid isn't some gleeful mass murderer. He had a reason and if Don Reuel was up to something that led him to his death, that's something we need to know."

After his own encounter with the young man, Tseng was willing to believe that as well. From all of the information he had gathered, he could surmise this boy had strong connections with the man named Shady Larry. If Don Reuel was the one who killed him, then it was only natural the boy would have enough cause to seek vengeance.

The group watched as Haruto continued to ask simple questions: his age, where he lives, his occupation, etc. Each one was always met with a smart remark but he was giving up more solid answers. Most of these were simply formality to ease the boy into a more relaxed state. It was working too as he regained his cocky grin and began to brag about certain exploits he'd accomplished as a delivery boy.

A few times Talli laughed at his answers while Cissnei lightly giggled. They had to admit the kid was amusing and he had this way of dealing with a stressful situation with cracking jokes and swearing up a storm. Tseng and Alistair were both sure it was simply how he dealt with stress. By the time Haruto made it to the more pertinent questions, only George wasn't either in stitches or grinning even slightly.

"Now there are a few things we need to clear up before we get to the incident with Don Reuel," Haruto told him calmly. Reno silently shrugged giving him the signal that he didn't care. "You were working completely alone during your time of alluding us correct?"

"Do I look like I keep an entourage?" Reno replied cocky grin in place.

"So no," the scarred Turk murmured with a nod. "And as far as you know, you have not angered anyone besides us and Don Reuel's men in a long time?"

"Hey, it may be fun to see you lot pissed off, but I don't make a habit out of it," Reno laughed. "Come on, I like to keep my head where it belongs."

"Of course," Haruto replied chuckling as well. "Then who was it you were fighting in the alleyway? According to the operative you met with your goggles, the place had been torched thanks to your lightning materia...but no one else was present."

"Oh… that." Reno ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "I honestly don't know what that was about…. I mean, I'd just made a quick buck so at first I figured they were jumping me for my cash. But instead they asked me if I was the one who killed the Don. When I didn't deny it, they told me to come with them. Naturally I said no, but they didn't take my rejection very well." He sighed dramatically. "It's tough being popular."

"How many, and can you describe them?" Haruto pressed, now very interested.

"Three dudes and a chick," Reno ticked off. "They were all pretty small, not compared to your teammate mind you, but pretty small. Not much bigger than me and all of them seemed full grown." He thought for a few moments. "They all spoke with this strange accent, and they looked kinda like Mr. Dot Head. Only kinda though."

Reno didn't really put too much into the encounter, but looking at the Turk's suddenly serious expression he realized it was far more important. "What's the matter? Not like they did anythin' to you or the other suit wearin' losers."

"No, they didn't," Haruto murmured more to himself. "They couldn't be." There was a long moment of silence before he shook it off and looked back at Reno. "Now, I want you to recount what happened when you attacked Don Reuel's home."

* * *

Back in the observation room, all the ones who were watching were in silent surprise. "He did mean Wutains, right?" Talli asked finally breaking the silence. "How the hell did they get into the city?"

"I don't know," Alistair muttered in a very serious tone. "But now we've got another problem with this investigation into Don Reuel's death."

"You're right...why would Wutain's be looking into it?" Tseng agreed voicing everyone's concerns. "What could their connection with him possibly be? And how did they find out this boy was the one who did it?"

Alistair pulled at his goatee pensively, his eyes hardened and his brow creased in deep thought. After several moments of silence he announced to the room, "I'm going to inform Veld about this little development. George and Cissnei, you two scope out the area the kid was attacked and see if you can't find anything. Tseng and Talli, keep watch on the interrogation. Don't miss a thing."

Everyone responded with a obliging, "Sir!"

Before Alistair left the room, Tseng spoke up. "Sir, I'd like to request permission the boy be taken to the infirmary post interrogation."

"Ah, right, I'd almost forgotten why the kid hasn't taken a seat this entire time," he responded with a laugh. "Permission granted. Once that's done get him comfortable. He's gonna be sticking around for a while until we sort this out."

"Understood, sir," Tseng replied calmly as he returned his attention to the interrogation still going on.

Once he was sure the orders would be followed, Alistair left the observation room and headed for his commander's office. He knocked when he arrived getting the confirmation to enter. He did so and casually took a seat in front of the desk while the older man finished his business.

"So, how's the interrogation of the boy going?" he asked without looking up from his papers.

"Pretty good I'd say," Alistair replied with a shrug. "Once we finally got him to quit being a smart alec he finally started answering. I have to say though, the kid is hilarious."

"I see, anything useful yet?" Veld asked moving another stack of papers.

"Only one thing...seems he's been visited by another group looking into the Don's death," Alistair answered, now watching the man closely for a reaction. "By his description, they seem to be Wutains."

Aged grey eyes looked up to meet the younger's in a stern stare. "You mean to tell me they managed to slip into Midgar?"

Alistair nodded soberly. "That's what it's looking like, and for whatever reason they're after this kid who was responsible for killing Don Reuel. Now that sounds pretty damn fishy to me."

"Indeed," the older man agreed. His scarred and weathered face only served to enhance his grim demeanor.

The many years of service in the Turk business had not aged him gracefully. The man's brown hair was graying and one of his arms had been replaced with a prosthetic. An accident very few knew the reason for. Yet this man had a powerful and humbling presence as well as remarkable leadership, one all of the Turks admired and respected.

"So what you're implying is that Don Reuel was not working exclusively for us," Veld surmised, scratching lightly at the coarse hair growing along his chin.

"It would seem that way, sir," Alistair replied. "If that is the case, then whatever he was helping them with must have something to do with this kid, and probably Shady Larry. My guess is, the kid wasn't directly involved with any of this but must have some sort of information or importance that he doesn't know about."

"I agree," Veld murmured thinking over everything he just learned. "Alistair, I need you to get as much information out of the boy as you can concerning both men. In the meantime I want those insurgents that managed to sneak in found and dealt with. Also, see if any of Reuel's men know anything about his most recent dealings."

"Done, done, and done," Alistair promised with a smile.

* * *

CM: Looks like Reno's finally been caught, and so far he's not building a very good rapport with anyone. Look forward to more hi-jinks and hilarity in the next chapter.


	6. Free Tour

**Chapter 6: Free Tour**

About an hour after Alistair left, Tseng and Talli continued to listen in on the interrogation. Their progress seemed to flat line the moment Haruto got onto the topic of Shady Larry. No matter what he asked or how he asked it, Reno would answer either very vaguely or not at all.

"I thought we had an agreement, Reno ," Haruto said reproachfully after 30 minutes of dancing around the subject. "You tell me what I need to know and I keep my naughty hands to myself."

"First off, I didn't AGREE to any of this," Reno said resolutely. "Secondly, why the hell should I share anything about a man whose grave you shitheads dug up? I already told you everything you NEED to know. I ain't sharing anymore than that."

Tseng sighed and turned to Talli, "Why don't you go get a room ready for him. It looks like we won't be getting anything more for now. And I'm sure that bullet is starting to really hurt."

"Sure thing partner," Talli agreed before heading for the door. "You'll let me know how big a fiasco the medical visit is right?"

"I'll give you every amusing detail," Tseng promised with a light smile. Talli grinned and left without another word. Tseng returned his attention to the interrogation and sighed when he saw Haruto drawing closer to Reno once more. He shook his head and pushed the button which would allow the other room to hear him. "Haruto, I doubt he's going to say anything more so why not call it a day."

"Oh, Tseng, why must you ruin my fun?" Haruto asked with a small shake of his head. All the same, he backed off. Reno visibly relaxed a little bit but stayed on guard in case the guy changed his mind.

Tseng exited the window room and entered the interrogation room just as Haruto was making his exit.

As the swordsman passed him, he asked, "Will I at least get to have fun with him another time?"

"I didn't expect him to be your type," Tseng stated with a raised eyebrow.

"He's not, far from it." He smiled thoughtfully. "But I'm finding a strange delight in seeing how he'll react."

"Must you scar another male for life?" Tseng asked in false exasperation.

"What can I say? I enjoy seeing guys like him react," Haruto chuckled before leaving.

Tseng shook his head at the older Turk before entering the room himself. "So, for now your interrogation is over," he greeted feeling rather amused by the death glare he received. "I'm sure you wish to be able to sit again. Why don't we go and get your small irritation taken care of."

"A small irritation? You shot me in the ass you bastard!" Reno shouted back.

"I suppose I could always just leave it in then," Tseng replied turning to leave.

He heard footsteps behind him and glanced over to see Reno walking over with his hands shoved in his pockets looking none too happy.

"It must be hard taking time out of your busy schedule of dicking me over to dick me over even more."

"This could have all been avoided had you simply allowed us to bring you in for questioning sooner," Tseng reminded him as he exited the room.

"You guys don't exactly have a reputation of being hospitable," Reno retorted, following him out of the room and into the hallway.

"No but think about this, had we wanted you dead you would have been more than a week ago," Tseng stated. "Now unless you want to have that bullet become a permanent part of you I suggest you shut the hole in your face and follow."

Reno grumbled something about the Turk being an ass but followed him anyway. Every step was hell, only serving to aggravate the red head's wound even more. The two traveled down the hall and into a large elevator that brought them down to a floor covered in white. White walls, ceiling, tiled floors. Reno had to admit the place looked really fancy and a small spark of awe popped up.

"Come along, we don't have time to have you gawk at everything in sight," Tseng stated from some point down the hall. He'd already started moving leaving Reno in the entrance of the elevator.

The red-head limped along behind the older man as he led them down the hall. Pausing at a nurse's station, he could not understand the soft exchange between the two. The nurse picked up a clipboard and came around from behind the counter. Leading off, she went down a connecting corridor with Tseng and Reno behind.

Entering a small operating theatre, the nurse went to a cabinet and began collecting the instruments needed to extract the slug from the gluteus maximus of the young man.

Turning as Reno entered the room, she nodded curtly to the operating table in the center of the room under the bright lights. "Go to the table, drop your pants and bend over." She commanded, her voice gruff and raspy.

"Not the first time someone's told me that… and I'm just as disinclined now as I was then."

Reno glanced at Tseng who merely raised an eyebrow and swept a hand to the table. "The sooner you get over there, the sooner you get to sit and eat, or lay on a bed, or…"

Reno waved a hand and hobbled over to the table, "I got it." He said as he paused, loosened his belt and in one fluid move, dropped his pants and boxers simultaneously. Leaning over and resting his chest on folded arms, he stared off at the wall opposite. Behind him the nurse took a syringe and filled it from a vial. "I hope you can move this along because I have a date la…YEOW!" He yelped as she drove the needle into the fleshy part of his backside near the entry wound and pushed the plunger.

Tseng strode to stand in Reno's view. "Please control your predilection for humor at the most inopportune moments and let the lady work." He intoned in a gentle yet commanding voice.

Reno glared up at Tseng and flipped him off as the medicine started to set in. Because of the unusual substance he was unable to feel the lady digging out the bullet and instead rattled off a string of different stories that all in all made no sense.

The entire procedure took about five minutes to finish and by the time she was done, the nurse was completely fed up with the redhead and practically threw the pair out.

"Eh, hospitals are a pain anyway," Reno muttered shrugging it off and strolling forward glad to be back to normal. Tseng sighed and shook his head. He was sure the nurse would probably not accept the boy back unless he was fully unconscious. "So then what's next, dot boy?"

"Follow me," Tseng replied simply, ignoring both the question and the nickname.

Reno shrugged again but obediently followed the Turk back to the elevator. Tseng pushed the 43 button and the elevator began its ascension. Reno leaned against the glass looking out onto the city. It was close to nightfall and the streets were already lit up to welcome the dark. Tseng was watching the boy closely, but he didn't seem to have any interest in trying anything.

"Some view," Reno murmured. "Bet it's even better at the very top."

Tseng wasn't sure how to respond to Reno's sudden willingness for conversation. It was rather mercuric how one moment he was being difficult and the next he was acting complacent.

"I suppose so," he answered at last. To be honest, Tseng had been around Shinra long enough to where it didn't hold much majesty for him anymore.

When the elevator dinged and the doors slid open, Reno pushed himself off the glass wall and followed Tseng into the hallway.

He was a little disappointed to find that there seemed to be nothing on this floor. He put his hands back in his pockets and sulked down the hallway, upset that there weren't even any girls for him to look at down there. Eventually they came to a corner and turned it revealing a path of doors with card scanners next to each one. Tseng stopped in front of one and swiped his card in the pad opening the door before motioning for Reno to step inside. The redhead did without complaint.

"Huh, pretty nice digs," he said looking at the single bed and sink in the room. "What no toilet in here?"

"This is where you'll be staying until we've decided you are no longer useful," Tseng told him from the doorway. "Enjoy your stay."

Without turning around, Reno flipped him the bird once more before he heard the door close. "That guy is a serious stick in the mud," Reno muttered as he dropped onto the bed. "Huh, okay this is way comfier than my bed back home...sweet."

Tseng was rather relieved to finally have a small reprieve from the boy. Now perhaps he could finally get caught up on his paperwork. As he entered the elevator, he thought about what little he had managed to learn from him. Wutains in Midgar… unlikely but certainly not impossible. What would they want from a boy from the slums, though?

He pressed the button to take him to the Turk floor while continuing to reflect. It seemed he might directly be fighting his once-brethren from here on out. Unfortunate, but he had known the moment he chose to ally himself with Shinra that sooner or later it would happen. And if the boy knew what was good for him, he would cooperate with them. Otherwise Haruto just might be given the chance to have his fun after all.

The shrill chime of his cell snapped him back to present and he quickly answered.

"This is Tseng."

"Hey, partner." It was Talli. "We just got a worried call from the medical center. Turns out that doctor you just went to see lost her card key. You didn't happen to see where it went did you?"

The hand holding the phone to his ear tightened at what he heard and he quickly set the elevator to return to the floor he'd just gone from. "No, but I'll check and see if he has," he answered calmly.

"Okay, just don't blow up at the kid. I doubt he could get very far even if he did take it," Talli told him with a laugh. "So just relax okay."

Tseng ignored her last comment as he hung up and waited for the elevator to stop. As soon as it did, he took off down the hallway hurrying to the room he'd left the redhead in. Not surprisingly, when he reached it, it was empty. He quickly pulled out his phone while returning to the elevators just in time to see the second one stop on a floor several stories above him.

"Wow, that was fast," Talli laughed when she picked up on the second ring.

"Alert the others, the boy is loose in the building. I believe he just took a detour to the 58th floor," Tseng told her seriously as he stepped onto the other elevator and punched in the floor number.

When he'd reached floor 58, the guards there informed him no one had gotten off the elevator. Not five minutes after that, the mail room called reporting about an obnoxious red head playing with one of the label guns. By the time Tseng made it down there, however, Reno was gone having left a large mess of mislabeled packages and envelopes in his wake.

About fifteen minutes later, Tseng's search had led him to the cafeteria. As he entered the eating area several people were doubled over in apparent agony. Tseng at first was alarmed. Surely the boy wouldn't have gone so far as to poison the cafeteria food?

"H…hot… too hot…" one of the soldier's gasped, eyes watering as he clutched his throat.

When Tseng went to talk to the head chef, it turned out the boy had dumped an entire bottle of Fire Bomb hot sauce in the soup special.

As Tseng headed back to the elevator, he ran into one of his cohorts. He could guess from the look of murderous intent and the fact her strawberry blonde hair was coming loose from its bun she just had a recent encounter with their 'guest'.

"Karen, have you spotted him?" he asked, skipping the formalities.

"Yes, Tseng, I have," she replied, her toffee colored eyes flashing behind her oval shaped glasses.

"That little brat had the nerve to grope me out of nowhere and slap my backside as he ran past me," she explained, her expression growing more severe. "You'd better find him before I do, Tseng. Because the moment I get a hold of him I'm going to tear his arms off before I rip out his throat."

"We still need him alive, Karen," Tseng told her though he could understand why she'd be so upset. "There are other ways to punish an uncooperative captive."

"Then catch him and do it," the woman ordered as she slipped her hand into her pocket. At that point she froze and began searching through every pocket in her suit.

"Is there something wrong?"

"That bastard stole my card key," she seethed. "Now there's no chance of a quick death. I'll let him suffer under the most inhumane tortures I can come up with for years to come."

Tseng was about to answer when his cell phone went off again. He answered it.

"Hey, Tseng," Alistair's voice came on. "Got another report of a rogue red head. Apparently, he just got finished rearranging the company archives on floor 45."

"The company archives!?" Tseng repeated in disbelief.

"I'll handle it," Karen said immediately and entered the elevator.

The Wutain sighed, rubbing his forehead. Just when he thought the headache was over…

"Take a deep breath, Tseng," Alistair told him.

"I don't understand why you're so calm, sir," Tseng replied, barely managing to keep his tone respectful. "That boy is causing us all sorts of problems."

"Perhaps," Alistair acknowledged. "But I figure he'll only do so much for so long. And I'll make sure the kid gets the proper punishment once you've caught him again."

"Yes, sir," Tseng said before hanging up.

He sighed again. At this point, Tseng was willing to bet Reno had no intentions of escaping. Just like when he was eluding them in the slums of Midgar, this was just a game to him. A game Tseng had no interest in playing.

Holding his head in frustration, the Wutain Turk leaned against the nearest wall to catch his breath and try to figure out where the redhead would go next. He had no reservations about the idea that he'd be able to slip by Karen without too much problem and wanted to be ready for it. Before he came to any real conclusion his phone went off again and he quickly answered it.

"I swear I'm going to kill that kid!" the intense voice of the female Turk declared. "The place is a mess. It's going to take forever to clean up. Not to mention he fried the security robots. How'd he even manage that? Anyway, the brat jumped on the other elevator just as I arrived and shot up to the upper levels. Level 65 I believe is where he got off. I'd follow but the elevators won't go that high without my card key."

"I understand, I'll take care of it," Tseng promised before jumping on the elevator and riding up to the proposed level. He was surprised when he reached it and got off, stepping in what must have been at least three inches of water. Somehow, the redhead had managed to flood the entire floor.

Tseng's jaw tightened in frustration, but before his anger built he took Alistair's advice and took a deep breath. And then another. He repeated this until he was at an appropriate level of calm. He was through with chasing the teen in circles. Though if he had Karen's card…

The Wutain quickly got back onto the elevator and pressed the button, sending the elevator up. When the door opened, he breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the president was out of the office at the moment, and no one else seemed to have… Tseng noticed a wet footprint on the floor. When he looked closer he saw a trail of water leading to the staircase which led to the outer rooftop.

_'Some view. Bet it's even better at the very top.'_

Of course… Tseng exhaled slowly, before going to the door and following the trail which ascended the staircase. A gust of cool air greeted him as he stepped out onto the rooftop. Looking around, everything seemed to be in order. and in one piece.

He was surprised to see that the railing that overlooked the building was lacking a certain redhead. There was no sign that he had left so he continued farther out onto the roof. As he went, he spotted a pair of shoes sticking out from the door of one of the helicopters.

"So, you came all the way up here just to see the choppers?" Tseng asked as he drew closer. "I assumed leaving the building would be higher on your priority list."

"Oh hey, what took you so long?" Reno asked ignoring the earlier statement as he sat up on the seat and looked at the Turk through the window. "Honestly with the hint I dropped I figured you would've beat me up here."

At this point, Tseng was too tired to be as angry as he should. When he approached the copter, he motioned for Reno to move to the other chair. Surprisingly the red head complied and switched over so Tseng could step in and take a seat. After all of that, he needed a sit down.

"So… do you guys get to fly these things?" Reno asked examining all the switches and buttons.

"On occasion, when it's necessary," Tseng replied glancing over at him. "I take it you've never seen one before."

"Not in real life, no," the teen answered truthfully. "Always thought it'd be cool to fly one though. I thought maybe if I could get out of Midgar and into Junon, I might become a pilot or something. Make a decent buck."

"While running from the law?" Tseng inquired dubiously.

Reno's face darkened slightly. "Well, that bit wasn't part of the plan."

Now there was something Tseng could relate to. If he thought about it, him becoming a Turk had never been a part of his plan originally. They lapsed into silence, where the Wutain rubbed his forehead. "Why didn't you try to escape?" he asked Reno after a few minutes.

Reno shrugged before leaning on the silent panel. "I'd thought about it, but I figured even if I did escape I'd just end up back where I started." He glanced up, looking at the hazy dark sky through the windshield. "Besides, there's something I wanna find out, and I'm thinkin' the only way I can is to stick around for awhile."

"You mean why Shady Larry was killed," Tseng inferred.

"Well...maybe. Mostly it's about those goons who attacked me in the alley," Reno answered honestly. He looked at the Turk as he spoke but didn't really feel like he needed to. "I know I can tick people off pretty easily but I don't think I've ever been able to do it for people I've never had dealings with before. I want to know what I did so I can use it later."

Tseng was sure the last part was all for fun but was still surprised the boy spoke to him at all like this. The pair lapsed into a semi-comfortable silence before the Turk held out his hand. Reno looked down at it and then back up at Tseng's face.

"What, are you looking for a handshake or somethin', cause I don't do sappy crap like that," he told him flatly.

"The cardkeys... both of them," Tseng stated firmly. "Hand them over. Your free tour is over."

The red head's lips drew back in an 'oh yeah I almost forgot' smiling expression. He gave an exaggerated groan of disappointment but reached into his pants pocket and proffered the stolen cards to Tseng. "Just as I thought… you're a total killjoy."

"And you're a child," Tseng replied, taking the cards and tucking them away in his jacket. "Now I'm going to escort you back to your cell. If you so much as think of pulling another stunt I won't hesitate to ensure you will be incapable of sitting for the rest of your stay here."

Reno flinched at the idea and silently nodded before following him out of the chopper and back down through the elevator to his room. "You know, the biggest reason I did any of this was just to get back at you," Reno murmured as he laid down on his bed before Tseng could leave.

"For what?" Tseng asked hoping it wasn't what he thought.

"For shooting me in the ass what else," Reno retorted with a glare. "So for future reference if you're gonna shoot me do it somewhere else...or next time I'll do much worse to this place."

Tseng wasn't sure why, but he found a small smile tugging at his lips. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied before shutting the door and locking it behind him.

* * *

The next morning Reno awoke to the sounds of someone entering his room. He didn't know what time of day or night it was since his room had no window. All he knew was he was still tired and didn't feel like getting up.

"Up and at em, princess," said a booming baritone of a voice Reno didn't recognize. "You got a long morning ahead of you."

Reno responded by lifting his middle finger at whoever the person was. He heard a chuckle and then heavy footsteps come his way. Reno braced himself for a counter if the guy so much a laid a finger on him. However, no such action was taken. Instead he felt his bed tilted up so that he ended up tumbling off onto the floor, sheets and all.

"Shoot, you don't weigh a damn thing, kid," the man told him. "Don't you eat?"

It took a few moments for Reno to recover from the unexpected morning greeting from the floor and to disentangle himself. He at last glared up at the visitor and almost jumped backwards in shock. The guy was huge, easily three times Reno's size in bulk. His dark hair was slicked back and he had a mustache goatee combo that made him appear sinister. But the craziest part about the guy was his eyes. The irises were so pale they were almost white, surrounded by a dark blue ring. And unless Reno was going crazy, he was positive they were glowing. It was like staring into twin moons with pupils.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Reno demanded after he got over his shock of seeing the guy.

"Nothin' kid. It was time to get up. We make the rules around here, not you, so get used to it," Alistair replied moving around the bed to stand in front of him. "Besides, you've got one hell of a day ahead of you. First up, breakfast." He reached down and lifted the redhead off the floor by his shirt and dropped him on his feet before shoving a plate of something into his arms.

Reno looked down at the substance and raised his eyebrow. "What is this?"

"If you're gonna question it I can just take it back and you get nothin'," the large Turk told him with a shrug. "I'd just hate to see a scrawny thing like you starve to death. We have better ways of killing you in mind after all."

Reno looked at the guy and it was difficult to tell if he was being serious or not by the way the guy grinned. The red head took a seat on the empty bed and began nibbling on a piece of bacon. The little bit of food made him realize he actually was starving but he refused to show it and took it slow instead.

"So, what happened to you then?" Reno asked looking at the guy's facial hair. "French kiss a tail pipe?"

The man threw back his head and laughed. "Good one, kid. First time I heard that one." He gave Reno a hearty slap on the back, stinging his shoulder and making him also choke on a piece of sausage. "Ya got fifteen minutes to eat. I recommend clearing your plate, cuz you'll need the energy."

"For what?" Reno muttered once he got his breath back.

"Oh, you'll see," he replied with a rather evil looking smile.

Reno suppressed a shudder at the look on the older man's face before returning to his food. He didn't think he wanted to know what the man was talking about, but decided he'd take the advice and quickly cleaned his plate.

"Feelin' better now that you've eaten kid?" Alistair asked taking the empty plate from him. Reno shrugged a whatever reply but inside he was feeling rather content. "Great, looks like it's time to get started. Oh, and try to enjoy yourself kid...or at least try not to let them get to ya too badly."

Reno stared at him in confusion as the Turk up and left, locking the door behind him. He really had his misgivings about what was coming now and made sure to face the door with his guard completely up. "I can take anything they can throw at me," he thought determinedly.

Moments later the door opened again. "Remember what I said, Haruto," Alistair's voice said from the hall.

"Yes, yes, I understand."

Reno groaned internally at the sound of the familiar voice. "Aw shit, not this guy again."

The scar faced man stepped inside, smiling pleasantly as though he were about to invite Reno to lunch. Not that the red head would accept even if that were the case. "Why, hello again, Reno."

"Yo," Reno replied unenthusiastically. Just what the hell was going on?

His question was quickly answered when Haruto reached at his hip and drew out a long, curved blade from the sheath on his belt. "Well, I suppose we should get started. I only have ten minutes after all." The swordsman's smile lengthened at the startled expression on Reno's face. "Do try to make this fun for me."

* * *

CM: Dang... Reno's in for it now. This was a fun chapter to write. Even well in holding Reno's still causing problems for everyone. We're a little sad this story hasn't been getting more reviews, but I guess that's just how it goes. Look forward to seeing Reno's punishment in the next chapter.


	7. Ten Minutes

**Chapter 7: Ten Minutes**

Outside in the hall, all the Turks were standing around waiting for the swordsman to be done. George was leaning against the hall, Karen was checking her reflection in a compact mirror, Rude was standing silently beside Cissnei, dwarfing her, while Tseng stood next to the door near Alistair.

Within 15 seconds of Haruto entering the room, there was a crash followed by the red head screaming "HOLY SHIT!"

If Tseng wasn't so irate with Reno for causing so much trouble the night prior, he might have felt sorry for the boy. However, the way Alistair had set the whole thing up, the red head was getting off fairly easy. The elder Turk had let Haruto go first, when Reno had the most energy. Following the swordsman would be Cissnei, who would be more merciful towards the teen. Next would be Karen, followed by Talli, then George. Tseng would be second to last, and finally Rude. They were each given ten minutes to do whatever they pleased to the red head, short of causing any permanent damage.

10 minutes of angry and frightened shouts later and Haruto exited the room allowing Cissnei to enter. Her 10 minutes ended without much sound at all. When Karen entered though, there were a few moments of silence before breaking objects and shouts of pain. She seemed satisfied when she left though. Then George and Talli had their turns. Talli's was mostly quiet, but at the end she was shouting in triumph leaving moments later laughing. Finally Tseng's turn came, and as he entered the room he was met with the sight of Reno lying on his torn up bed, next to a shattered mirror, groaning in pain.

"Having fun yet?" he asked walking farther inside. He noticed that the redhead was holding onto his arm. "I see you lost to Talli in arm wrestling."

"I was a gentleman and let her win," Reno refuted rolling onto his stomach with some difficult. "And yeah, I'm having a gay ol' time. Thanks to Shorty I learned I'm a lot more flexible than I ever believed."

Tseng rubbed his chin as he observed the teen. In spite of the tough front, the Wutain could tell the boy was in more pain than he was willing to share. He had several cuts and bruises and if George had done what the teen was suggesting, it was highly probable he had several pulled muscles. The Turk considered what to do with his allotted time. He wasn't really interest in sitting and chatting with the red head and he doubted Reno was in the mood for that sort of thing anyway, at least not with Tseng. He didn't doubt the boy had been more than willing to converse with Cissnei and Talli, possibly Karen if the female hadn't been so bent on beating the stuffing out of him.

At last Tseng settled on an idea. It was something that wouldn't put Reno through too much unnecessary discomfort, but might still teach the boy a necessary lesson.

He slipped a hand into one of his pockets and pulled out a small green orb. At the sight of it the redhead pulled away as much as he could. "What's that for?" he muttered warily.

"Just think of it as a means of obtaining a new point of view," Tseng replied as it began to glow. The next thing Reno knew he was almost drowning in the torn remains of the bed. As he tried to fight his way out of it, he suddenly saw a giant hand come down and lift him into the air.

Reno opened his mouth to shout at the now giant Wutain and demand to know what he did to him, but all that came out was a soft croak.

"I have to say, Reno," Tseng said looking at him with the smallest of smiles. "This is a good look for you."

Reno tried to speak again but out came another croak instead of words. Finally he looked down at himself and screamed. Well, released a higher pitched croak. His hands and feet were webbed, his skin was green and yellow, and his body was soft and squishy.

That forehead dotted prick turned him into a frog! He began jumping up and down, croaking out would be profanities. He ended up slipping off Tseng's hand, thankfully landing back on the bed. He shook his head and glare up at the Turk who stared down at him with a straight face.

"Trust me when I say you got off easy," Tseng told him. "What you did yesterday might not have disrupted Shinra as a whole, but you caused many people problems unnecessarily all for the sake of your vanity. I don't believe I need to tell you we have killed for less."

If Reno had been capable he would have flipped Tseng off. What did he care about the people working at Shinra? Like their lives were so damn hard.

A fly flitted past in front of him and before Reno knew what was happening his tongue shot out and caught the fly, pulling it into his mouth.

His eyes widened as he unconsciously swallowed it. Tseng's smile seemed to grow a bit at this but he didn't say anything else. He felt his message was at least somewhat getting through. The rest of his 10 minutes consisted of him watching the toad Reno try to navigate his way across the bed and then proceed to attempt to hit him. Every punch he gave though jarred his injuries and he ended up flinching. At the end of it all, Tseng headed towards the door and finally turned him back before stepping through the doorway. He nodded towards Rude as he left and the bald man made his way inside.

"So, what did you do?" Alistair asked once the other was inside. "I didn't hear any gunfire so I assume you didn't just shoot him again."

"No, I realized the only physical thing I could do to him to exceed the last time I shot him would be to render him completely immobile," Tseng answered easily. "Since that wasn't an option I simply… gave him a new perspective."

When Rude stepped into the room, the red head was sitting on the bed sulking. "So it's you, huh?" Clearly the teen hadn't forgotten Rude, or his fists, because one of his hands twitched towards his stomach. He let out a long sigh before standing up and facing the bald Turk. "I ain't gonna lie, I'm pretty sick of this. So you know what? Just go for it."

Rude's eyebrows knitted together. Based on their last meeting, he had expected Reno to put up more of a fight. Or at least try to avoid whatever it was that was coming. It wasn't as if the kid was giving up either, he was confident he could handle whatever it was Rude decided to throw, even after everything he'd already been through. Rude couldn't help but feel a small twinge of respect.

The pair stared at each other in silence for several minutes before Rude's fist flew out and landed squarely in Reno's stomach. The redhead bent over in pain from the blow but the only sound that escaped him was a small gasp. "For the phone."

Rude's voice surprised Reno as did his words. They threw him off guard enough to where the next blow came without him bracing for it. It was swift and landed on his back knocking him to the floor.

"For running," Rude muttered. Then he turned and walked back out the door.

Reno groaned and stayed on the floor for a while. After a few minutes a pair of shoes stepped through the door and stopped in front of him. The teen looked up to see Alistair looking down at him with a sympathetic smile. "Sorry about all that, kid. But it'd do neither of us good if you got off scat free."

The red head coughed and muttered, "It was still worth it."

Alistair laughed. "I like your spirit, kid." He crouched down and with hands twice the size of Reno's turned to boy over onto his back. "Now, there's just one last order of business."

"Oh right, you haven't done anything to me yet," Reno muttered under his breath.

"No, but mine'll last much longer than the others," the larger Turk stated as he stood back up. "Rude, keep him still for me." Rude nodded and leaned over holding Reno's arms behind his back while lifting him up a bit.

"Wait, so what the hell are you doing?" Reno demanded though apprehension laced his voice.

Alistair didn't answer. Instead, he pulled something small and golden out of his pocket before leaning over and reaching toward his ear. Reno jerked his head back out of the way only to be held still by one of Rude's hands. He tried to struggle against his captor, but his body was so exhausted and damaged that it hurt far too much to move.

He gritted his teeth when he felt something metallic press against his earlobe which was then followed by that object being forced through the soft flesh.

Compared to what he'd been through the past hour, this little pinprick was nothing. What disturbed Reno was the motive behind it. When Alistair was finished he backed away and gave Rude the go ahead to let go. Reno's hand immediately flew up to his ear. He had a brief moment of metal against his fingers before a shock went through his hand, causing it to twitch away from his ear.

"What the hell did you do?" Reno demanded looking fiercely up at Alistair.

"It was just a little piercing," Alistair said with a smile. "Doesn't look half bad either."

"It shocked me!" Reno exclaimed forcing himself to his feet. "What's the catch with this thing?" As he spoke he reached up again for the earring. Again he felt a shock and dropped his hand back down. "I'm not allowed to remove it, huh."

"Not after the stunt you pulled last night," Alistair answered. "But just so I don't have to explain it..." He pressed the button on the device Reno only just noticed he was holding. Moments later, Reno started to hear something kind of high pitched that made his ears start to hurt. Little by little, he could feel his muscles turning to jelly until he collapsed to his knees holding his hands to his ears to try to block the sound.

As suddenly as it had started, the sound disappeared and he was able to look back up at the pair before him. "To put it simply, that's there to make sure you behave. Try to pull something like that again and you'll suddenly find yourself unable to move."

Reno let out an audible growl. "You prick."

"So I've been told," Alistair replied before turning his back on Reno. "Get some rest now, kid. You look like hell."

"I fucking wonder WHY," Reno noted sarcastically.

He was sorely beginning to regret his decision to stick around. Even if he was back on the streets, being hunted, at least he still would have had the freedom to go where he wanted and do what he wanted, so long as he didn't get caught. Here he had nothing. No freedom, no will of his own. It was a helplessness he'd never known before and it was enough to make him want to scream.

Rude was the first to leave the room while the bigger man paused at the door.

"Word of advice, kid. You're not gonna get anywhere in life if you keep trying to fight everything that comes your way. That kind of recklessness will just get you killed." He glanced back at the teen. "I'm no mind reader but you don't seem like the type who'd be satisfied with dying anytime soon."

"And you're saying I should trust you guys won't kill me?" Reno asked doubtfully.

Alistair shook his head. "You don't have to trust us. A little cooperation, that's all we want."

"Blow me!" Reno retorted harshly.

"I'll let Haruto know you've extended the offer," Alistair replied easily. The look that spread across Reno's face made the large Turk chuckle as he left the room, locking it behind him. The other Turks had long since gone. "Heh, I like him. He's got guts...what about you Rude, what do you think of the kid?"

The bald Turk looked at his superior and shrugged.

"Yeah I guess you're right. It is a bit early to fully make that judgment," Alistair nodded. "Alright let's get going. I heard they've got some amazing lamb chops in the cafeteria for lunch today."

* * *

Ring ring. Ring ring.

The phone rang several times before someone finally answered it. _"State reason for calling," said a guttural voice._

"Leviathan," the person answered.

_"What is your report?"_

"I'd like to speak with the leader directly, if you don't mind."

_"The leader is busy,"_ came the curt reply.

"I doubt he'll be too busy for this. I know where to find the person he seeks."

There was a long pause. _"One moment, please."_

There was a bit of nervous waiting before a cool, dulcet voice replaced the gruff one who originally answered. _"What news do you bring?"_

"The one you're seeking. THEY have him."

"I see, that would explain how we were unable to locate him a second time," the man murmured calmly. "What have they drawn from him?"

"Nothing of great importance as of yet," the other answered. "He seems reluctant to mention anything about the inventor. He has explained the small attack on him by your men, however. They now know you are in the city and are somehow involved. They will be searching for you."

"They do not yet know of MY involvement."

"No sir, of course not. Only that four of your men attacked him."

"Keep it that way. Do not allow him to become comfortable enough to explain his mentor's involvement."

"Yes, sir. Before he speaks anything truly harmful, I'll have him out in the open for you."

"See that you do. We must obtain the information he holds before them.

* * *

After the brutal beating he received the day before Reno passed out on the ruined mattress and managed to sleep for the first time in a long time all night long. He didn't become aware of anything until the next morning when he heard his door open along with a voice trying to talk to him. He ignored it and buried his face farther into his pillow. Moments later, he felt his mattress getting flipped over and he ended up on the floor.

"Is this going to be the morning ritual with you, kid?" Alistair asked as he stood over the redhead once more. "Hurt or not get up. We're starting bright and early today."

"Starting what?" Reno muttered rubbing his side which had impacted the ground.

"Always with the questions," Alistair murmured. "If you'll just shut your mouth and hurry it along you'll find out soon enough."

Reno didn't care much for surprises, but not wanting to have his new ear accessory activated he got to his feet, adjusting the goggles on his head. The Turk silently gestured for Reno to follow him and he led the way out of the room and down the hall. After an elevator ride and more walking, they arrived at the rec center which had been cleaned up since the flooding. The red head was a little impressed at how fast they'd managed it.

Alistair continued to lead the way until they were at the showers. He opened a locker and tossed Reno a bar of soap and a towel. "First take a shower to get rid of all that dirt, blood and stink." He also tossed Reno some clothes. "They ain't much, but they're clean."

Reno glanced at the showers and then pointed at his ear. "Shouldn't you take this off first? It'll get shorted out in the water won't it?"

"Naw, we made sure it'd be able to stay on no matter what," Alistair chuckled. "Water won't be able to do anything to it. Just let me know when you're done." With that, he turned and left.

Reno muttered a few profanities about the Turks and their stupid earring as he stepped into the shower. 20 minutes later, he stepped back out feeling cleaner than he'd ever felt and not too put off by the new clothes.

Alistair was waiting for him near the lockers and after putting away the soap and towel he told Reno to follow him once more. This time Reno was led to a floor where people could be seen training whether by sparring each other or using punching bags and other substitutes. Reno wondered what business the Turk could possibly have with him in a place like this.

"Ah, this one looks empty," Alistair said entering one of the rooms. Reno glanced around, seeing the walls were padded as well as a large section of the floor. In the corner was what looked like a closet which probably held work out gear and the like.

"So what's the deal, old man?" Reno asked.

"Well, I got to thinking," the big man said turning to face Reno. "Since you seem so unhappy to be here, I thought I'd give you a sporting chance for a speed ticket to freedom." Reno raised an eyebrow at this and waited for him to continue. "You can fight me," he answered take a couple of steps back. "If you can win you can go."

"And the others are just going to accept that," Reno asked dubiously.

"Of course. Being second in command has its advantages," Alistair replied slyly. "So how about it kid?"

"Will you take this freakin' thing off?" Reno asked pointing at the earring again.

"Ah, but it makes you look cool kid," Alistair groaned. At the look Reno gave him he chuckled and waved his hand. "Sure sure, we'll take that off too. See, it's a win win."

Reno thought it over for a few moments. It sounded pretty cut and dry, but the red head doubted it would be as easy as the guy made it sound. He'd just freely revealed to Reno he was second in command of the Turks, a position most likely well earned. Plus the guy was larger than Rude and was probably likewise good at taking a hit.

Still… even if he was a Turk, that didn't make him invincible. Or unbeatable.

"Alright," Reno agreed at length. "Sounds good to me!"

Without giving Alistair time to even begin the match, Reno zipped in. He charge straight and when he was two feet away he suddenly changed directions and aimed a kick at the guy's knee.

Suddenly Reno was staring up at the guy from the floor. He didn't even realize what had happened.

"Oh, sorry. Did we start already?" Alistair asked looking down at him. The grin on his face clearly said he knew exactly what had happened. "My bad. Here maybe I should say go next time so I know you're attacking."

Reno ignored him and slowly got to his feet. As he did so, he suddenly replayed the last moment in his mind. He remembered flying at the Turk with his foot aimed at his knee...then the guy caught his foot, jerked the other off the ground and flipped him in the air making him land face down and having to turn himself over.

"Yeah right, you knew what was going on," Reno accused testing out his limbs to find he was still able to move normally.

"Oh, were you attacking?" Alistair taunted. "I felt a light gust on my leg and simply batted it away. If that was an actual attempt, then it looks like you'll be here for awhile."

Reno's teeth clenched in suppressed irritation. At least when he'd been fighting Baldy he didn't have to put up with any taunting.

"Yeah, keep laughing it up, old man," he said readying for another attack. "First thing I'm gonna do with my freedom is shave off that stupid facial hair."

Alistair laughed. "Well, come on then, kiddo. Make my day."

Reno forced a breath out to calm himself. Despite being built like a tank, the guy could move pretty quick. He wasn't even bothering to guard himself. It was like he wanted Reno to go after his open spots. He needed to catch the guy off guard somehow.

As he was devising a way to do this, the big man suddenly came charging. Reno barely had time to dodge as Alistair's fist went whistling past his head. The red head was momentarily shaken by the notion that Alistair's punches might have even more force than Rude's.

His moment of shock was all the Turk needed to sweep the legs out from under the redhead and pin him to the floor using only his weight. "So, is that the end of the fight then kid?" he asked patting him lightly on the head.

"Not. A. Chance." Reno gritted his teeth and used every ounce of strength he could to push himself up high enough to get his knees under him. "I'm...getting out of here."

Alistair waited until the redhead was kneeling before finally getting off and looking down at him with a laugh. "You really got spunk kid. I like that. If you think you can keep going then let's just get this next round started."

Reno got back onto his feet, not wanting to call it quits just yet. He may not be as strong as the goat man but he had one more little trick up his sleeve. It was a trick Blay had taught him years back. In fact, Reno had learned most of his fighting from the dread head. Not enough to go toe to toe with a Turk, that was for sure. Just enough so that Reno could defend himself, a necessity when you lived in the slums.

Rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, Reno dug the balls of his feet into the floor and pushed off. He first darted left, then right, then faked an attack down the center. He pulled back at the last second when he saw Alistair go to counter. Reno took that opportunity sidestep the man and enter the corner pocket of his vision where Reno would be all but invisible.

Alistair seemed to freeze when Reno made his move and he silently celebrated his good fortune before shooting forward and aiming for the Turk's throat. Just before the hit landed, the Turk's hand came out of nowhere, blocked the blow and twisted the arm behind his back and pulled up. "Nice move kid," he expressed tightening his hold. "But I've fought opponents who were actually invisible before."

"You're an ass," Reno retorted trying to get his arm released. It didn't take long for him to stop though as everything he did only hurt worse and did nothing to the other guy.

"Yeah, I get that a lot too," Alistair replied with a chuckle. "Ready to call it quits yet?"

"Hell no."

"That's what I like to hear," the Turk said before pushing Reno away. "Come on, show me your best, brat."

Sad to say, Reno never even managed to land a single hit.

* * *

CM: Poor, poor Reno. They're really not making this any easier on him. More Turk fun to come, and thank you to those of you who took the time to review. Every bit of encouragement helps. :D


	8. Wrong Words

**Chapter 8: Wrong Words**

A full week passed and Reno was more or less behaving himself. He mostly stayed in his room, but now and again someone would come to bring him food or take him out for a walk. While the red head loathed being treated like a pet dog, he did it anyway to get a better scope of the building, just in case he wanted to attempt escape. Shinra was a big place, but by the end of the week he could have navigated it himself no problem.

Talli and Cissnei were the more fun ones to spend times with. The ebony skinned girl was spunky and fun while the younger was rather cute. Karen he didn't mind being around, more like she disliked being around him. She was very direct and didn't like misconduct of any sort. Though she had a strange fondness for cute things, he'd noticed. The half pint George was fun to mess with, especially when it came to his height. And while apparently all Turks had the power to make Reno's limbs turn to jelly -as he'd quickly found out while making fun of George-, Reno didn't let that turn him into an obedient little prisoner. Haruto was probably his least favorite. It wasn't as if Haruto treated him poorly, but he made Reno feel uncomfortable. Tseng and Rude were probably the most tolerable of the guys. Neither of them said more than was needed, and they treated him fairly.

Once a day, every day, Alistair would take him up to the training room to see if Reno could beat him. However much to the red head's chagrin, he hadn't been able to so much as touch the guy.

He was deep in thought as he laid on his bed and didn't notice that someone was coming in until they were standing over him. "What do you want?" he asked without looking at them.

"It's time for lunch," the visitor answered calmly. Reno glanced over at the visitor for just a moment. The voice alone told him that it was Tseng, but looking directly at him was the only way to get even the slightest amount of what the guy was thinking. "Get up, let's go."

Reno groaned but his growling stomach kept him from saying anything stupid. Instead he followed the Wutain down to the cafeteria. All along the way he said whatever came to mind about everything he was seeing. The irritation on the Wutain's face told him he was doing his job.

When they got to the lunchroom Reno ordered himself a couple of sloppy jos, a side of fries and a soda. He must have put on at least ten pounds since he'd arrived there. A part of him was resentful at how well off people on the plates, especially Shinra, were. Before now Reno spend his whole life surrounded by the squalor of the slums and he'd seen plenty of people worse off than him. That was the crappy thing called life though, some people got shitty hands while others had command over the whole fucking deck.

Once Tseng had gotten his meal, some type of salad and a can of tea, they sat down at one of the long tables that was vacant save for two other people wearing soldier outfits. Reno wasted no time digging in and within two minutes his first sloppy jo had been devoured. He washed it down with a few quick gulps of soda before letting out a belch.

Tseng face tightened in annoyance. "Could you at try to have some decorum?"

"What the hell is that?" Reno asked starting on his second sloppy jo.

"It's called manners," Tseng rephrased. He didn't look away from his own food, but he could feel the small amused glances by the two soldiers and the loud chewing sounds from the red head.

"Naw, there ain't no point in that," Reno replied having swallowed his food. Tseng was thankful he hadn't tried to speak through his mouthful. "Never needed them before and not plannin' on startin' now." With that he shoved the remainder of his sloppy joe into his mouth only just being able to pull his lips over the edge.

He glanced over at Tseng as he did this and was pleased by the slightest curl of his lip. He generally didn't eat like a pig and wouldn't have tried to put so much in his mouth had the guy not commented on his manners.

He almost choked on it, but managed to swallow it down after a couple minutes. He took another large gulp of his soda while taking a sweep of the lunch room. He spotted a familiar bald held sitting across the room. "Hey, it's Baldy," Reno commented aloud with a small smile. "I'm gonna go over and say 'hi'."

"Is it your personal goal to disturb everyone around you?" Tseng asked pointedly.

"Around here, it's the only joy I have," Reno replied with a smirk as he got up from his seat. "Besides, the guy's by himself. I bet he wants some company."

"Highly doubtful. Even if he did I'm certain you'd be his last choice for company."

"Oh, come on. Last? I'm sure there are plenty of people more dislikable than me around here."

While he wasn't entirely wrong about that, he was quickly working his way up the ladder in Tseng's book. Rather than attempt to rein the red head in, he merely told him, "Just don't make a scene."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'll behave," Reno said unconcernedly before heading across the room towards the bald Turk.

"Hey, Baldy, what's up?" he greeted when he got closer. The bald Turk pointed ignored him. "Whatcha' lookin' at?" He noticed the guy had something in his hand and leaned over his shoulder to take a peak.

It was a picture of a beautiful young girl maybe a year older than him. She had a really nice figure with an average sized chest and beautifully long, straight, dark brown hair.

"Huh...I'd do her," he murmured thinking that whoever she was she looked like she'd be his type.

No sooner had the words left his lips than Reno felt a fist come up under his chin, knocking his teeth together and jarring his whole skull. He was lifted off his feet, landing on one of the adjacent table causing several drinks to fall over and spill everywhere. There were several exclamations while Reno was trying to shake the stars out of his eyes.

Before he had the chance to test his mobility, he felt a pair of hands grab his shirt and haul him off the table. "Whoa! Easy," Reno exclaimed thinking Rude was going to hit him again. The guy was holding him to where Reno's toes barely brushed the floor.

He couldn't be sure just how ticked off the guy was considering the sunglasses he wore, but something told him he just crossed a line.

"Look sorry, but I seriously just thought that chick was hot," he said hoping to smooth things over. "I didn't mean to step on any..."

His words were cut short though as he was suddenly dropped and a fist landed hard in his stomach. Then the bald Turk walked off as Reno stayed doubled over having his lunch finally force its way out of his stomach.

"Heh, I get it...don't mention the broad," he thought being unable to speak as he continued to spew his lunch all over the floor.

People nearby scattered to get away from Reno as his soda and both sloppy jos made a quick and clean –in a manner of speaking- exit. Once the flood was over he spat a few times, the taste of undigested food and bile now coating his mouth.

"I told you not to make a scene," Tseng said from behind him. "What did you do this time?"

"That's the thing," Reno replied through a cough, keeping hunched over with his hands on his knees. "I wasn't really trying so I don't even know. Something about some girl…"

"I'm beginning to wonder if it's second nature for you," Tseng commented keeping his eyes away from the mess the teen had made.

Reno glanced up at Tseng. "I don't suppose I could get seconds?" he asked.

Tseng looked at him as though he couldn't believe the unmitigated gull of the red head's question. "Your audacity continues to astound me."

"That a 'no'?"

"That's a 'no'."

While Reno stayed where he was trying to regain his breath and clean himself up, Tseng called over the building janitor to clean up the rest. Then he got Reno to his feet and silently escorted him out the door and back to his room. Reno's stomach and ego were far too injured for him to say anything either.

In the meantime, two men were standing in a corner of the cafeteria chatting about what just went on. "Man, that kid really has a way with words," Alistair laughed taking a swig from the glass in his hand. "I never thought I'd ever see Rude get that upset."

"He is very different from the people we normally deal with," the older man replied with a light chuckle as well.

"Honestly, Veld, I think those two have a rather interesting chemistry," Alistair pointed out.

"Indeed… but what are you planning, Alistair?" Veld asked looking his companion over.

"Well, if it's alright with you, I was thinking about making Rude his general guide for when the rest of us can't deal with the kid," Alistair answered. "That way he can always have a way to expel that energy instead of being cooped up in a single room all day."

The older man gave him a look which bordered on concern. "What you're asking is rather unorthodox."

"Believe you me, I know," the second replied with a smile. "But I honestly think it'll work, and with any luck maybe the kid will get comfortable enough to cooperate with us. Who knows, maybe he'll even help us with the other problems we've been having."

Veld ruminated on the idea for a few moments before speaking again. "I trust your judgment, so I'm going to allow it for the time being. However, if results don't appear positive we'll have no choice but to resort to other methods."

Alistair nodded in understanding. "You won't have to worry about that, sir. I guarantee he'll come around."

* * *

Hours later, Reno awoke from on his semi-repaired bed clutching his stomach. It was still bruised from his scuffle earlier in the day and his jaw hurt like crazy. No matter how hard he thought about it, he still couldn't figure out what he did to tick the guy off. He'd walked up to him, said hi, said his random comment about the girl in the photo and suddenly got a face full of elbow. How was any of that angering?

After a time of thinking it all through, the door opened cutting off his thought process and allowing Alistair to enter. "Good, you're awake for once," he greeted noting that he still had one arm wrapped around his gut. "It's time for dinner...and maybe this time you won't get yourself killed once you finish eating."

"Is there anything I do around here that doesn't get back to you?" Reno asked, a little perturbed, before glancing away. He always for some reason found it hard to keep eye contact with the guy. Those eyes were just so damn crazy.

"I actually had the pleasure of seeing the whole thing for myself yesterday," the Turk replied with a smile. "You must have some sort of gift. I've never seen Rude get so worked up before." He shook his head. "Anyway, I bet you're starving right about now, so let's head on over."

Reno pushed himself up and onto his feet before following Alistair out. As they traveled down the hall, the red head spoke. "Mind if I ask a question?"

"As long as it's not the color of my underwear."

Reno cringed. "No, it ain't that."

"Because I'm not wearing any."

"Okay, TMI!"

Alistair laughed as they got onto the elevator. "Relax, kid. I was just joking. What's up?"

"What's with the eyes?" the teen asked. "Is it a Shinra thing?"

Reno had noticed in the past week there were several individual who had glowing eyes. He knew, or at least was fairly sure, it had something to do with mako because the last time he saw eyes like that the guy was sitting in a drain pipe, a total zombie. Blay had called it mako poisoning.

"You could say that," Alistair answered. "It's a little more limited than that though. Only SOLDIERS and SOLDIER candidates receive eyes like this."

"You mean, it is mako then," Reno guessed.

"You're pretty bright kid. Yeah you're right. Mako injections are what set SOLDIERS apart from the rest of Shinra," Alistair replied with a laugh.

"So, wait, then that means you were a..."

"Candidate for SOLDIER? Yeah. But it turns out that the Turks wanted me more, so here I am," he replied in slight amusement.

"Have you ever had the mako poisoning before then?" Reno asked thinking of the guy in the gutter.

"No...generally that only occurs in people whose body rejects it," Alistair explained. "How did you hear about that anyway?"

Reno glanced out the glass window at the city below. "I've seen it."

This time around, Reno settled on just getting his food and eating quietly without causing any trouble. As Reno ate, Alistair struck up a new topic of conversation.

"So, from what I'm seeing and hearing, living in that cramped little space is making you a little on the restless side."

"What was your first clue?" Reno remarked, after swallowing down a forkful of spaghetti.

"So I've figured out a way to remedy that," he continued. He smiled at the suspicious glare Reno was giving him. "What's with that look?"

"Well, gee, I dunno. Maybe because so far, every time you got some grand idea that includes me, I get injured or maimed in some way."

"Oh, yeah," Alistair murmured thinking back. "You do tend to get hurt. Well did you want to hear my idea or suffer through boredom forever?"

"Well, I guess it can't be worse than what I've already gone through," Reno muttered as he finished off his food. "What is it?"

"Well, the way I see it you can roam around wherever you please as long as you have someone with you," he explained. "So you'll be rooming with one of our members and unless otherwise specified you'll be with them all day every day."

Reno was rather taken aback by the suggestion. Granted the idea of spending all day with a Turk didn't exactly spell the words 'fun time' for him, but it didn't sound any worse than being locked up all day bored out of his mind. "Do I get to choose?"

Alistair shook his head. "This isn't a democracy, kid, so no. I picked out someone whom I think you'll balance well with."

_'Please not the creepy guy with glasses.' _Reno thought to himself. _'Or the short guy for that matter…'_ Anyone else he could at least tolerate and vice versa.

"Alright, so who did your twisted mind decide to pick out?"

The Turk leaned forward a bit in his seat. "Your good pal, Rude."

Reno blanched for a moment at the sound of the name. "You do realize he just tried to kill me right?"

"No he was just upset for whatever it was you did at the moment," Alistair shrugged it off. "He's not the type to hold a grudge. Anyway finish up so you can get reacquainted with him in your new room."

"You just like torturing me don't you?" Reno asked glaring at him.

"It is fun," he admitted with a chuckle. "But I am just trying to help."

"I'm not so sure I like your kind of help," Reno remarked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Tough shit."

Reno scowled at him before returning to his food. This guy was even more of a hard ass than Blay, yet at the same time he acted so easy going. "So what's his opinion on all this?"

Alistair smirked while brushing a thumb across his goatee. "I thought it'd be fun if I surprised him."

"Wow," Reno said staring at him in amazement. "You really are a glorious bastard."

Alistair simply chuckled at his words. He waited until the redhead was finished before getting to his feet and leading the way towards the Turk bedrooms. When they arrived he silently knocked on the door. There was no answer but that didn't bother the older Turk. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. As he did so, the lone occupant turned to look at him and nodded.

"Feeling better after the fiasco at lunch?" he asked curiously. Rude nodded lightly and turned away for a moment. Then something occurred to him so he turned back and looked past his superior.

"Ah, yes, it's already been set up this way, but from now on you're going to be rooming with the kid." As he spoke he grabbed Reno by the arm and dragged him through the door.

Rude's eyebrows knitted together as a frown set into his features. Reno stood there awkwardly waggling his fingers in greeting. The bald man stood up, glancing at Reno before turning to face the older Turk. "Is this crucial?"

Alistair nodded. "Fraid so. Will you accept it?"

At least the guy was considerate enough to give the poor sap a choice in the matter. Either that or he was just pulling a fast one. Much to Reno's surprise though, the bald Turk silently nodded in understanding. That was it, no questions asked.

"Great, then I'll leave you two to get to know each other better," Alistair said, clapping them both on the shoulder. "And hey, if you guys can manage to get along, I'll take you out for drinks."

"I like the sound of that," Reno laughed. "But you'd better stay true to that, old man." Alistair laughed and pounded his hand against the back of the boy knocking him forward. Then he turned and left leaving the two younger men to stare at each other in an uncomfortable silence.

"So, which bed is yours?" Reno asked seeing the two beds in front of him.

Rude ignored his question and sat back down at the only desk in the room. "I'll take that as a sign that I can choose." The Turk didn't reply so he just shrugged

and dropped onto the nearest bed staring up at the ceiling.

Glancing around, he had to admit accommodations weren't terrible. It was a one room living space with a single bathroom. The furnishings consisted of two twin sized beds on one side, a dresser with a TV sitting on top, a desk on the other side and a single closet. There was also a mini-fridge in one corner of the room.

The place was bigger than his cell, but only just, and with two of them living together there was really no escaping one another. Not unless the big man decided to stuff Reno in the closet.

Reno tucked his hands behind his head. If he was going to live here, he'd need his own set of clothes and toiletries. Normally he could just steal those or find a good deal at the thrift store, but he doubted that'd be an option around here.

"So, baldy, what do you do around here?" Reno asked trying to ease the tension.

"Rude," the Turk answered.

"What? I wasn't being rude."

"My name. Use it."

"Your name is...okay fine," Reno stated curiously looking over at him. "So seriously, what do you do?"

"I'm a trainee," Rude stated after a moment of silence. "I help when I'm needed."

"That's boring," Reno muttered.

This statement received no answered other than a short grunt from the older man. The red head glanced over and saw the guy was working on some sort of paperwork. Reno turned over on his side so he was more comfortable while facing his new roommate.

"So… how long ya been at Shinra?" he asked. It wasn't so much that he was interested, he just couldn't stand the silence. It made him twitchy. He always needed something going on or something to do.

However, Rude didn't seem in the mood for small talk because he continued his pencil scratching without looking up or acknowledging Reno had said anything.

"Hel~lo?" Reno called out again. "I know you're not big on words, but you could at least answer the question."

Rude continued to ignore him and work on his papers. "Oh, come on. It doesn't take that much to answer," Reno complained sitting up. "All ya say is a number and either days, years, months, weeks, whatever the case is."

His demand was met by Rude rolling up one of the papers on his desk and chucking it over his shoulder, hitting Reno in the head. "What the heck was that for? I was just tryin' ta have a bit of friendly conversation," Reno exclaimed getting to his feet.

Rude also got to his feet and faced Reno towering head and shoulders over him. "Shut up and go to sleep. I'm working." Then he sat back down at his desk and continued on his papers.

"No dip, you're working," Reno exclaimed plopping back down. The last thing he wanted was to start a fight and end up back in the tiny prison cell. Realizing he wasn't gonna be breaking any ice tonight, the red head lay down and shut his eyes, listening to the sound of Rude's pencil scratching away.

* * *

CM: Well, this partnership is off to a good start.

SM: Yeah, but can you blame them? Anyway, things get really interesting as the two have to learn to put up with each other's little quirks. Will they find a way to get along and earn those free drinks or will their anger get the better of them? Keep reading to find out.


	9. Meet Monty

**Chapter 9: Meet Monty**

The next morning when Rude woke up, he was a little confused to hear the shower running and someone whistling an upbeat tune. Then he remembered, oh right, he had a new roommate. He checked his alarm clock and was startled to find it was a little after five in the morning. Rude could have sworn Alistair had said he had troubles getting the kid up in the late morning.

The Turk tried to go back to sleep, but it was difficult with the whistling which continued even after the shower was turned off. Finally he gave up and pulled himself up into a sitting position. He glanced over to see the neighboring bed looking very unmade, with the sheets pulled loose and rumpled and the pillows haphazardly placed. Rude shook his head. He certainly hoped the kid didn't make a mess out of the whole apartment. Minutes later Reno came out, red hair dripping wet, goggles placed neatly on his forehead and dressed in the same clothes he'd worn the day before."Hey, hope you don't mind but I used some of your mouthwash."

Rude grunted in understanding before making his way into the bathroom. Reno finished drying off his red hair muttering about the silent Turk and plopped down onto his bed turning on the TV as he heard the shower start up. He flipped through a few channels out of boredom before he gave up and switched it off.

Getting to his feet, he stretched and made his way out into the hallway. They said he'd be spending his days with his new roommate, but they didn't say anything about him exploring the floor he happened to be on at the time without anyone else. Looking down the hallway either way, he decided he'd go looking for a place to find some food. He was still hungry after loosing his lunch the day before.

Making up his mind, he turned left and started walking.

* * *

In the meantime, Rude finished up his shower as well as the rest of his morning bathroom routine before stepping out into the bedroom. He half expected the redhead to start talking to him the moment he exited but nothing was heard. Glancing around, he found out why. The kid was gone.

Releasing a frustrated sigh, he dropped his towel into the dirty hamper and headed for the door, tossing the blanket on his bed over so it didn't look like he'd just just woken up.

He didn't have to look very far to find him. The red head was towards the end of the hall, on his stomach doing some sort of weird crawl. His arms and legs were twitching odd as though he were having some sort of seizure. As Rude approached him, the red head seemed to regain control of his muscles and got to his feet, albeit shakily.

"Whew… about time," Reno said rubbing his arms. "Man, that was uncomfortable."

"What were you doing?" Rude asked.

"Hey, I wasn't tryin' to escape or nothin'," the red head said in his defense. "I just wanted a look around, maybe find some munchies." He slapped his cheeks a couple times and rubbed them, as though trying to work something out of his skin.

"There's a distance limit," Rude told him. "No wandering around alone."

"Tch, it would have been nice if someone mentioned that earlier," Reno grumbled feeling back to normal. "So how about it roomie? Let's grab some chow. I'm starvin'."

Rude just looked at him for a moment before shaking his head and starting off down the hallway. "Oh, so it's this way," Reno exclaimed catching up to the bald Turk. "Huh, guess I was heading in the wrong direction anyway. So, what do you generally eat?"

"Food."

"Again, no dip. What kind of food?"

Rude shrugged. "I'm not picky."

"Me neither. Course ya can't really afford to be picky down in the slums."

"Mm…"

When they reached their destination, Reno gave a whistle of appreciation. The room was very spacious, with a kitchen area on one side and an area for fun and relaxation on the other. The kitchen had a wide counter area with every electronic appliance you could think of, a twin sink, a huge double door refrigerator, and a pantry.

"So is this some kind of special area for you guys?" Reno asked as he picked himself out a box of cereal labeled Cocoa Chocos.

"Sort of," Rude answered. As far as he knew, it was a place for Turks to relax if they didn't feel like using the staff lounge area, or to eat if they didn't feel like going down to the cafeteria.

"Huh, pretty cool," the redhead murmured as he poured himself a bowl of the cereal. He glanced around the room and noticed that the other half of it consisted of a sofa and a few easy chairs all centered around a big screen TV.

"So, do you guys ever get anything good on the tube?" he asked starting to make his way into the relaxation area. Rude shrugged as he found the fixings for sandwiches and began making one.

Reno took that to mean "not really." As he moved to sit on the sofa, he glanced over at the nearest wall and noticed a decorative mirror on the wall. Realizing that he hadn't actually inspected his appearance since he'd left Shady Larry's, he took a quick peak to see if he'd changed at all.

As soon as he did, he jumped back in surprise nearly dropping the bowl in his hands. "What the...what the hell did you bastards do to me?!" he exclaimed spinning around to face Rude who had paused in his making his food.

"What?" Rude asked sounding completely confused by the redhead's sudden outburst.

"My eyes!"

"…" Rude just stared at him nonplussed.

"Oh, right you probably can't even tell with those shades of yours," Reno muttered morosely as he turned back to the mirror. He looked closely, making sure he wasn't just imagining things. He wasn't though. It was faint but his blue-green eyes had adapted a soft glow. Not nearly as noticeable as Alistair's but still, it was there. They had never done that before. "You guys didn't… do anything to me while I was sleeping did you?" he asked again.

"Not that I know of," Rude answered, choosing to ignore the red head and continue making his sandwich.

"I swear, if that prick, Alistair, had anything to do with this I'm gonna wear his ass for my shoe," the teen muttered before sitting down with his chocolate cereal.

Rude shook his head at the redhead's declaration and finished making his sandwich before sitting on the opposite end of the couch. For a time there was silence between the two as Reno flipped through the channels ignoring the ones containing the news. He wasn't having any luck finding anything he enjoyed so eventually he ditched the remote on the coffee table in front of him and finished off his cereal.

"Man, your guys' TV is crap," he muttered getting up and dumping his dishes unceremoniously into the sink before returning to his seat. By the time he got back, Rude had taken the remote and changed the channel to some sort of nature show featuring the life styles of different, not so dangerous monsters from around the world.

"What is this?" he asked raising an eyebrow at what was on the screen.

"It's a toad," Rude answered simply. He knew he was being obvious, but he really didn't care. The redhead was a constant pain so a little pay back was kind of nice.

Reno watched for a little while and he had to admit it wasn't the most boring thing he'd ever watched. The supposed toad which was being filmed was called a Touch Me frog, and apparently it defended itself by temporarily morphing other living animals, including humans, into frogs. Reno wondered if that had any sort of connection to what Tseng did to him. Maybe he should start making a payback list.

After about fifteen minutes his attention began to wander so he got up out of his seat went back to the kitchen. Rude continued watching the documentary while eating his breakfast sandwich. He heard the sounds of rummaging going on but didn't think much of it.

Before Rude realized it nearly two hours passed and he hadn't heard so much as a peep from the red head. This caused him great concern. He hadn't heard him leave the room, and even if he had he wouldn't have been able to get that far.

Turning around in his seat to see where the redhead had disappeared to, he discovered that he was standing with his back towards the TV fiddling with something. His curiosity getting the better of him, Rude got to his feet and headed for the kitchen. When he reached it, he tried to look around the redhead's shoulder only to be blocked.

"It ain't done yet so just go back to your show," Reno told him in irritation. Rude didn't move, but he didn't try to look around him again. After about 10 minutes of silence, Reno turned to glare at him. "I can't focus with you hovering over me like a hawk you know. Go away."

Rude crossed his arms and simply stared at him, almost daring him to make him. "Fine, don't go. But at least look in a different direction, you're bugging me."

With that he returned to whatever he was doing and Rude turned just enough so he could still watch him, but wasn't completely facing him. After about 10 more minutes, Reno straightened up looking rather satisfied with himself.

"Alright...check this out," he said stepping aside.

Rude at first couldn't believe what he was seeing. But there it was, a robot sitting on the counter space. "You made a toy?" he asked at length.

"Hey now, this ain't no toy," Reno said rather indignantly. "It's a fully functional robot. I made it to work appliances, clean up messes, and guard the junk food cabinet."

Rude raised an eyebrow. This kid couldn't be serious.

Reno scratched his head. "Well, alright, it can't really do any of that yet. I'll need more time and more parts, but... here, look." He reached behind the robot and there was a sound of a switch being flipped before its eyes lit up and it began shifting around making mechanical whirring noises.

Rude hated to admit it, but he was a little impressed. He was fairly capable as far as understanding technology, but he was certain he wouldn't be able to just throw together a robot on a whim in a matter of hours. The bald Turk couldn't help but ask. "How did you even manage to make this?"

"It wasn't that hard actually… you guys keep a lot of random crap in these drawers. And… I might have sacrificed one of the blenders, but it's well worth it I tell you."

The robot made a series of high-pitched, whirring, echoing noises. Rude could swear that it sounded like the thing said "hello".

"Cute ain't he?" Reno said grinning. "I think I'll call him Monty."

Rude couldn't think of what to do about the small thing in front of him but continued to watch it.

Reno watched it move around the counter space with a look of pride. "Just imagine, with a few more adjustments he'll be able to clean the counter tops, wash dishes, hell, I might even be able to get him to make a sandwich."

Rude shook his head. "You're unbelievable." Either this kid was just boasting or he was nuts. Highly likely he was both.

"Believe it, pal. I spent my entire life down in the slums. Making stuff out of discarded junk is second nature to me." Well, he had Shady Larry to thank for that too. Hell, the old man wouldn't have taken half as long as Reno did. Reno went over and picked up a bowl of green goop that had been resting on the counter off to the side. "I also made some jungle fever guacamole if ya wanna try some. Ya can put it on any kind of bread or chip and it'll taste phenomenal. My own home brewed recipe."

Rude wasn't sure what to make of the concoction before him so he decided not to accept any of it. When he just turned away and returned to the sofa he noticed the redhead frown before grabbing a bag of chips and digging in.

"You seriously have no idea how much you're missing out," the teen taunted slowly putting the food into his mouth and moaning at the wonderful taste.

Rude pointedly ignored this, though a part of him thought he was being a dork and actually found it to be amusing. He wasn't going to just forget about what the kid had done before though.

Having nothing else better to do now that his little project was finished, Reno went over and plopped down on the opposite end of the couch with the bag of chips in one hand and his bowl of guac in the other. He snatched up the remote and began flipping through the channels again. Rude didn't mind since the show he'd been watching had ended ten minutes ago.

"Hey, the Adventures of Mog the Moogle is on," Reno said gleefully stopping the television on a cartoon.

Rude shook his head. They really were dealing with a kid. Still, he didn't object since it might keep the red head from complaining about being bored and then decide to turn the toaster into a bomb. They sat there for a good fifteen minutes in silence before someone else came into the room.

"This is a rather pleasant surprise," Tseng commented, seeing Reno and Rude together on the couch. "Nice to see you're behaving yourself, Reno."

"Yeah, up yours," Reno retorted, stuffing another loaded chip in his mouth.

Another series of high pitched whirs and clicks as it took a single step towards the newcomer.

Tseng glanced over in the direction where the high pitched mechanical noise had come from and spotted the source almost immediately. "What is that?"

"That's Monty," Reno answered still watching the TV. "I just made him. Give him a try if you want but don't break him."

"What does it do?" Tseng asked taking a closer look. He had to admit the little thing looked fairly impressive.

"Find out for yourself, I'm watching somethin'," Reno replied harshly as he shoved another chip into his mouth.

Tseng sighed at the redhead's answer and decided to ignore it instead. Since he was hungry, he decided a sandwich would be quickest as he needed to go to the shooting range later. As he pulled out everything he needed and put it on the counter, the robot moved around occasionally bumping into obstacles. He continued to observe as he took two slices of bread from the bag and spread mayonnaise onto them.

"Reno, you say you made this?" Tseng asked, watching the robot puttering around. "With what?"

"Stuff I found around the kitchen," he answered through the crunching of chips.

"I don't believe it," the Wutain murmured.

"Geez, what's so hard to believe?" Reno spoke up, having obviously heard his rhetorical comment. "Just because I act like an idiot sometimes doesn't mean I am one."

"Only sometimes?" This was said by both Tseng and Rude at once.

"You both can go to hell," Reno stated resentfully.

By this time Reno had finished with his chips and Tseng's sandwich was finished being made. As the dark haired Turk was moving for a seat, Reno got up to put his stuff away. Along the way he paused in front of the Wutain. "Oh and one other thing," he stated growing angrier. "What the hell did you bastards do to me? This glow isn't just my imagination and I already know only people with mako injections look like this."

Tseng looked him over and shook his head. "We didn't do anything," he told him seriously. "If we had, it wouldn't be so subtle."

"Then what's going on?" Reno persisted. "My eyes didn't look like this a couple weeks ago."

"You were using materia during those two weeks, correct?" Tseng reminded him, then continued before the red head could answer with a rebuttal. "Were you using it directly or did you have it equipped in a slot of some nature?"

"Uh, directly I guess," Reno replied with a shrug.

"There's your answer then," Tseng said pointedly. "Materia is comprised out of concentrated mako. When used without an accessory it directly reacts with the body. When done multiple times the body undergoes physical changes, one of them being the glow in the irises. On occasion it can have positive results, but more often than not it causes negative side effects. Sickness, mental disabilities, or death." At Reno's startled expression, he sighed and shook his head. "I would have expected even someone living in the slums would know that much."

"Well sorry, but the old man wasn't exactly the biggest source of information," Reno grumbled. "The most I knew about materia is they were condensed mako and he could use it to power the contraptions big whoop."

With that he walked right passed him and dumped his stuff into the sink. Then he returned to his seat without looking at either of the Turks. A part of him felt like an idiot for getting so riled up, but he wasn't about to show them that.

At the same time, Tseng had finally taken his seat and began to eat. He stared at the screen where another cartoon had appeared and grimaced. Reno was a kid through and through. He had said something rather interesting though. He'd mentioned a guardian of some sort who used contraptions. By the sound of it, he was referring to Shady Larry.

Tseng also noticed the boy was becoming a little more open. Perhaps Alistair hadn't been crazy when he decided to let him have a bit more free range. Still, if Reno could make something like that robot out of parts he found lying around the kitchen… he had to wonder if this was one of the reasons why the Wutains would be after him. Then Tseng suddenly got an idea. He would probably have to run in by Alistair first, but he doubted giving the boy further incentive to behave wouldn't be harmful. He took a few bites of his sandwich before speaking.

"Reno, I'm familiar with a man who is currently the head of Shinra's technology department."

"Good for you," Reno replied, fixated on the television.

"And I think he would be interested in meeting you and your…Monty," Tseng finished after a quick pause.

"And, what''s your point?" Reno asked still refusing to look away from the screen.

"Well, when he isn't working on specific items for the company, he also enjoys tinkering," Tseng continued. "After seeing your work, he may be willing to give you spare parts now and again to see what you come up with."

Finally the red head looked over at him, curiosity taking over the annoyance that was there. "Seriously? You're not just pulling my leg are you?"

"I'm being completely honest," the Turk told him with a shrug. "But I suppose if it holds no interest then there's no reason to bother him."

Reno quickly looked away from him and back at the screen. Rude had been around Shinra long enough that he'd met the technology head, and he was sure his superior was right. What really caught his interest though, was the fact that after the older Turk had said the redhead hadn't looked interested, the teen had stared determinedly at the TV and fidgeted as if he was debating on whether or not to admit he wanted to see him.

The next fifteen minutes was nothing but sounds from the TV. After a time Tseng and Rude both had to agree that while the animated style of the show made it look childish, it was actually quite adult in several aspects.

Regardless, it wasn't anything either of them would choose to watch on their own in their spare time. Once Tseng was finished with his meal he set his plate on the counter next to the robot, where it elicited another series of mechanical whirs that sounded a lot like "Thank you".

As he made his way to the door, he heard Reno call out to him. "Hey, Tseng, that guy you were talking about… what's his name?"

Tseng turned to see Reno glancing over the couch at him, no doubt struggling with his overwhelming sense of pride. "Reeve. Reeve Tuesti," he replied calmly looking over at him.

The redhead struggled for a few moments before he sighed. "If that guy's really how you described him, then he'll probably love Monty," he finally said after a few moments of silence.

"Should I take that as a desire for the introduction?" the Turk asked in light amusement.

"Take it however you want," Reno shot back turning back on the couch with a frown on his face.

If the two Turks didn't have control over themselves, they may have laughed at his antics. It was all too obvious to both of them that he really wanted to meet the technology head if nothing else than to show off his skill.

"Very well, then I'll see about setting something up," Tseng commented before he headed out the door.

* * *

SM: Well that was fun. Guess Alistair isn't the only one who's taking an interest in Reno.

CM: Reno can't stand Tseng or Rude, but it looks like they can't stand him either...or can they? Stick around to see how the Turks handle the unruly redhead. And thanks to all those who continue to review.


	10. Rematch

**Chapter 10: Rematch**

The next few days were rather slow and torturous ones for both Reno and Rude. While the red head had officially gotten settled in to his new living space, having been supplied with clothes and his own bathroom materials, he began to wonder if he'd been better off in a solitary cell. Both males had to cope with the habits of the other, for Rude, it was Reno's arbitrary whistling as well as being up at sporadic times late night and early morning and then later falling asleep at indiscriminate points during the day. There was also other odd little habits Reno had specifically resulting from the red head's constant need to entertain himself.

Like rearranging the room and everything in it, including Rude's sock drawer. Or taking anything that wasn't nailed down while they were out and about and hiding it under his bed for possible later use. Or drawing on Rude's head in black marker to see what he would look like with hair. If Reno had to complain about anything, and he did, it would be the big guy's snoring.

He even told Rude he was surprised the room didn't cave in on itself with how loud Rude was at night and that the guy was probably compensating for how quiet he was during the day.

Despite all the problems between them, the pair didn't really have any fights creating an illusion of tolerance. Truth was though, Rude simply didn't allow most of what happened get under his skin enough to retaliate and Reno would eventually get bored of whatever he was doing and stop anyway. All in all, perfect harmony. At least it was until one morning a week after the redhead moved in.

This morning started a bit later than normal as Reno had stayed up until the early morning before finally crashing. Rude was grateful for the extra sleep he was able to receive, but the number of extra hours he was kept awake didn't even out. So like usual, Reno got up, finished his whistling morning routine and then Rude was finally allowed to go take his shower.

During his stay, Reno had come to realize how far away from Rude he could go before the distance limit kicked in. Since there was nothing of interest for him close enough to risk it, he just resigned himself to staying in the room until the bald Turk finished.

As he lay back on his bed listening to the cartoon playing on the TV and staring at the wall, a knock sounded on the door. Curious he got to his feet to see who it was. To his delight, when the door opened a pretty young shapely girl stood in the hallway looking slightly embarrassed when she saw him there.

"I-I'm sorry, I must have the wrong room," she muttered blushing slightly. "I-I'm looking for Rude."

"Yeah, he lives here," Reno said with a smile as he leaned against the door frame. "I'm his roommate."

"Oh… I see," she said with a relieved smile. "Is he in by any chance? I have some mail for him."

"He's currently busy, but I can get it to him," he replied, giving his smile a crooked tilt.

The girl blushed even harder and mumbled. "Well, I suppose that would be alright. Let's see…" she began fumbling in her mail bag and accidentally spilling some out onto the floor. She cursed softly as she hurriedly picked them up off the floor. "Here it is," she said handing it to him. "Please see that he gets it."

"No problem," Reno said taking the letter. "And don't be so nervous. I don't bite… unless you want  
me to." He almost laughed at the blush that rose to her cheeks. She must really be fresh if she was that easy to embarrass. "What's your name?"

"Um… it's Melissa," she murmured, looking rather flattered he would ask.

"Cute name, it suits you," Reno murmured his smile growing. "How long have you worked here?"

"I just started up a few weeks ago," she admitted nervously. "But, I'm really glad that I got the chance to meet you um..."

"The name's Reno," he told her easily brushing a bit of hair out of her eyes. "Even when you're not working, feel free to come visit. You'd get rid of all my boredom."

The girl giggled lightly at this her already red face darkening at the touch and comment. "Well, I'd better get going," she stuttered taking a step away but keeping her eyes focused on him. "I, I hope I can see you again later. Maybe for a walk..."

"How about dinner?" Reno asked.

"Uh...maybe," she stuttered. Then she turned and left almost tripping over herself as she went.

Reno grinned after her before going back into the room and shutting the door. "Oh, yeah, I still got it," he thought, mentally patting himself on the back. He had learned over the last several years of watching Blay pick up chicks in bars that a large percentage of girls went for guys who gave off that bad boy vibe. Whether for the thrill or to punish their parents. Either way, Reno knew it didn't take much. Just a little smooth talking, an inviting smile, a small moment of physical contact, and 9 times out of 10 you had their interest. He was about to toss the letter onto Rude's bed when he caught a glimpse at the person it was addressed from. It was a girl's name. Normally Reno wasn't one to snoop, but he had to admit he was curious.

He looked back at the bathroom to see if Rude was going to exit any time soon. After a moment he figured he had time and tore open the letter. "Let's see what kind of girl you're protecting there baldy."

The letter he pulled out was hand written with a smooth gentle swirl to each letter. It read:

Dear Rude;  
It's been a long thirty months since you left home. Don't worry though, mom and I have been doing well. Thanks to the money you send every month I've been able to go back to school and mom's been able to stay at home to take care of things herself now. Oh, just last week, mom met someone at the beach. He's a real charmer, but I doubt anything he says is sincere. Maybe it's just because of what dad was like but I'm skeptical about this one.  
Anyway, how's working for Shinra? Have you been able to make any good friend's yet? I know you hate talking to people but try not to be too distant. Oh, my school is sending me to Midgar for awhile as a transfer program. Maybe we can meet up while I'm there. I really miss you.

Your Loving Sister,  
Nina

So it was his sister… hell, no wonder the guy had been so pissed at his comment. That was assuming the girl in the photo and the one who sent this were the same person. This one letter certainly spoke volumes on the big guy's back story. Thirty months… That was roughly 2 and a half years, and from the sound of things, the guy hadn't been back home since. Either because he couldn't or because he didn't want to.

It also sounded like the dad was no longer around, nor was he missed. The most intriguing part of the letter though was the last few lines. His sister was coming to Midgar.

He heard the bathroom door behind him open and quickly, spun around hiding the letter behind his back. "Hey, buddy," he greeted with an overly friendly smile. Rude paused, frowning suspiciously at the red head. "What are you hiding?"

"Not a thing," Reno told him trying to slip the paper nonchalantly into the waist band of his pants. Rude heard the soft crinkle of the paper in the teen's hands.

In irritation he held out his hand. "Give it," he ordered. He had no clue what it was, but the fact that the boy was trying to hide it was enough to make him want to know.

"No...I don't think so," Reno said taking a step back. He needed a place to hide the letter long enough to make it look like baldy had opened it himself awhile ago. Rude took a step closer and Reno decided to run for it.

In an instant he was at the door, had it open and flew through the opening with Rude hot on his heels.

Reno dashed down the hallway, almost plowing into Cissnei who was leaving her room. "Oh,  
hey, Reno… how are…"

"Hello, goodbye!" Reno said dodging around her. Rude pursued him to the end of the hall where Reno made a hot dash into the Turk lounge area where Talli, George, and Haruto were playing some sort of card game. The red head was across the room in seconds and leapt over the table, missing George's head by inches.

"What the hell!?" he shouted.

"Lucky your short!" Reno shouted back as he ran out the other door into the adjacent hallway. As he continued to run, he glanced over his shoulder to see Rude was still giving chase. Though he wasn't as fast as Reno, nor could he maneuver quite as well, so the distance between them would keep growing until… suddenly Rude slowed and then stopped.

The reaction was instantaneous. Reno felt the vibration in his ear started up until his limbs started to go all twitchy on him and he was forced to stop too. Crap, if Rude really wanted he could just push a button and have Reno floored in seconds. He let out a few choice swears. This just wasn't fair.

Grudgingly, the teen turned around and headed back towards Rude stopping the moment the vibrations stopped. "You're a real ass using that," he grumbled in irritation.

Rude didn't answer but held out his hand once more. Reno sighed. Slowly he held out the opened envelope and letter that was still out of it.

"You were gonna kill me anyway, so I thought I'd try to hide it before you made me mincemeat," he muttered as Rude walked over and took it from him.

"You read it," he accused glancing at the name on the letter. It wasn't too obvious but he began to sweat a little at the thought of Reno having read it.

"Yeah…" There was really no point in denying it, and even less in saying he was sorry. The silence that followed was long and uncomfortable. Rude just stood there, staring at the letter. It was like he was so angry he didn't know what action to take.

Then finally, without looking at Reno he demanded, "Why?"

Reno dug his toe into the ground, thinking it over. "I dunno… you don't really talk about yourself that much… hell, you don't really talk at all. Not that I mind, I respect you got your secrets. But I won't lie, I was curious as to why I almost needed a new dental plan and ended up spewing my lunch all over the cafeteria floor."

Rude's frown deepened significantly. "Obvious."

"Okay, I admit, maybe I did deserve it…" When Rude directed his glare onto him he held his hands up. "Alright, I deserved it!" Reno exclaimed. Then he sighed and swept a hand through his red hair. "But so we're clear, I wasn't trying to piss you off." Rude stood silent for a moment as though contemplating this statement before turning and walking off without another word. Reno exhaled heavily, feeling for the first time in a long time guilty for what he'd done.

He watched the bald Turk walk away until the vibrations started again. Then he realized that he should probably follow to keep from collapsing again. So, with a sigh, he began to follow the Turk slowly back through the hall and into the TK where Rude collapsed into one of the easy chairs; the letter having vanished from view.

"So, where was the fire kid?" Talli asked with a laugh trying to lighten the suddenly depressing atmosphere.

"Eh, somethin' like that," he answered glancing over at Rude. The man completely ignored him as he stared at the TV...or at least faced the TV. Feeling it was better not to bring it up at that moment, he went to sit on the couch, but a hand gripped his arm and before he knew it he was over the back of the couch and on the ground.

"You are not going to be sitting back and relaxing after nearly kicking me in the head," George told him sitting back down. "Next time don't go running like a lunatic through here."

Reno rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Georgie, if ya wanted to feel taller all ya had to do was ask and I would've laid down for ya."

Talli gave a bit of laughter and threw out her hand when George made to get up again. "Stop bein' a sourpuss, George. The kid didn't mean any harm."

'She must not know me very well,' Reno thought in bemusement. 'Either that or she's looking really, really hard for that silver lining.'

"You two have some sort of falling out?" Haruto inquired, glancing between the bald Turk and the red headed teen.

"Naw, we were just having a playful game of tag," Reno replied, getting up off the floor.

He made his way over to the kitchen area where Monty greeted him with a chipper 'hello!'.

"I'm really growing attached to that little guy," Talli commented glancing over at Monty.

"You like it?" Reno asked sliding over to where she was sitting. "I could have him do other things you know. Whatever you want."

"Boy, you need to quit while you're ahead," Talli laughed. "That little guy is cool and all, but you ain't gettin' anything out of me."

"Can't blame me for trying," Reno laughed.

"If you're going to do that, save it for when you're alone," Haruto stated shaking his head. "We don't really want to see it."

Reno was about to retort to him when the door opened and in walked Cissnei. "So this is where you were tearing off to," she said spotting Reno next to Talli and Rude sitting guardedly in his chair. "So, what happened?"

"We just really wanted to get in here for some awesome food," Reno explained walking over to her. As he went he noticed Haruto shaking his head in disapproval. "Sorry I didn't stop to say hi, but I really needed my Cocoa-Chocos."

Cissnei smile and covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. "So that was it. Well, it's good to know you both are getting along so well."

"Yeah…" Well, at least he'd managed to dodge all of the awkward questions. He really didn't want the others involved in this little spat.

As the day went on, the other Turks left the TK one by one, until once again it was just Reno and Rude. The red head could tell the bald guy was just as angry now as he was a couple hours ago. Feeling like he should offer some sort of apology, he turned to the Turk.

"Hey, you know I… H-Hey!" The moment Reno opened his mouth Rude had risen out of his chair and walked out of the room. "Aw, come on, don't be like that!" Reno groaned in frustration before following the guy.

The entire way the Turk was silent as stone save for his heavy footsteps. Several minutes later they were in one of the many work out rooms. Rude went straight to one of the punching bags and started to pummel the thing with his fists.

Watching the guy go at it, Reno supposed he should be grateful that wasn't him. Yet he'd almost prefer another one of the guy's punches over being completely ignored. Wanting something to do, Reno began doing some stretching. No sense letting his muscles go stiff.

Once he was finished he returned to his feet and decided to try talking to the bald Turk once more. "So, are you still...?" he tried to ask but a more solid hit on the bag that actually moved it back about a foot. "Oh come on. We're kind of roommates so there's no avoiding each other. Isn't there some way we can settle this and just move on?"

At his question, Rude's punching stopped and he looked over at the scrawny teen. "Rematch."

"Haha...I guess that may work," Reno laughed. He watched Rude move into position and his smile died for a moment. "Wait, you're serious?" He watched Rude tighten his position and prepare to attack. "Okay fine, whatever let's get this over with."

The fight was quite different from the first. Neither male had an ulterior motive beyond besting the other. Also there was a lot more room to move, so both were able to fight to their fullest capacity. Rude used his strength and technique while Reno pulled out all the stops on his speed and dexterity. They moved all about the room, both exchanging blows, both switching between offense and defense. While Reno's hits didn't do nearly as much damage as Rude's did, he was able to land quite a few more. He would flit around in a random pattern, zip in, land a hit, and then retreat to a safe distance.

A few times, Rude was able to guess where the red head would go, and would manage to land a glancing blow before the red head escaped his reach. Once he'd even almost managed to get Reno into a hold, but the kid slipped out of it at the last second. After a little more than an hour of this, both had burned out their energy. Since neither wanted to be the loser, both tried for a last ditch shot at his opponent. Rude went in for a punch, Reno a kick. Both connected, and the two flew apart. They landed on the floor across the room from each other, both covered in sweat and panting heavily.

"You're...really good," Reno panted. He was exhausted after their little bout, but a huge grin was spread across his face.

"You too," Rude replied. He wasn't panting nearly as hard, but his limbs felt like lead and he couldn't really move much.

"You know, I think I get why you've been so ticked at me," Reno murmured. "Well...at least I think I've got an idea. See, I was gonna be a big brother once."

Rude was surprised by the sudden change of topic. Why was he talking about stuff like this anyway? Well, he wasn't about to stop him so he just grunted to show he was listening.

"Yeah, my mom was pregnant with a little girl when I was about 10. But I never really got a chance to see what it was like," Reno continued. "A chunk of the plate fell off before she was born and crushed our house. Heh, good thing I was running a muck at the time."

Rude was rather taken aback by this news, and even more so Reno was willing to share it. "Sorry," he mumbled, not knowing what else to say.

"Ah, don't be," Reno told him easily. "I got over it… besides, it's probably just as well it didn't happen. I would have made a lousy older brother."

After a few beats of silence, Rude pushed himself up into a sitting position. "How so?" he questioned.

"What? You don't think so?" Reno asked, his head popping up to look at him. "I'm not exactly what you'd call roll model material. I don't care about means or morals, I just want to have fun whenever and wherever I can get it."

He lifted up the upper half of his body. "Plus, I probably would have given her a hard time. Tease her, play pranks, you know… though if anyone else would have tried I'd probably kick their asses."

"…That's normally what big brothers do," Rude said following a brief pause. And who knew? With a little sister, Reno might have turned out differently from what he was now.

"Eh, you're just tryin' to make me feel better," Reno laughed. Rude just shook his head. "So, ya still ticked at me?"

"No, just don't do it again."

"Sounds good to me pal," Reno laughed getting to his feet along with Rude. "So...about your sister comin' to Midgar..."

"No."

"What? What's wrong with just saying hi?"

"You don't just say hi."

"Oh come on, what could I possibly do?" Reno asked. "I can't go anywhere without you, so it's not like I can really do anything without you knowing about it."

Rude turned away from him. "I don't plan on seeing her."

Reno gaped at him. "You can't be serious." When the Turk said nothing he demanded, "Why the hell not?"

"Not your concern," he rebuffed before walking away.

The red head sighed exasperatedly. "Geez, what's his deal?"

Unable to do anything else, Reno followed him, not planning on letting this go any time soon.

* * *

CM: Awww, they're bonding! Yeah, it's easy to see this pair still has a way to go before they can work in tandem. What sort of issues does Rude have with his family, and might Reno be able to help or just make it considerably worse?

Thank you all for continuing to read and an extra thanks for the reviews that keep us going. :D


	11. Trainer From Hell

**Chapter 11: Trainer From Hell**

As night fell and Rude and Reno returned to their room in good terms, a few of the other Turks were meeting in Alistair's office. "So, how've things been going with the kid?" the second in command asked the two sitting before him.

Tseng nodded. "He does indeed seem to be calming down ever since we placed him with your candidate," he told him. "He's even apologized for a few of his actions and created an interesting robot in the TK."

"That thing is a nuisance, and so is he," George grumbled. "We'd all be better off if we just dragged the info we wanted out of him through force. At least then we wouldn't have to deal with his idiocy."

"I do see your point on force being the easier route, but we do need him alive," Alistair pointed out. "If the Wutains are searching for him as well then we need him in one piece to find the reason."

"Speaking of which, Cissnei and I managed to track down the four Wutain's he described." George's face soured as he continued. "Unfortunately three escaped and the one we did manage to capture had a cyanide pill hidden on him."

"Took his own life, did he?" Alistair shook his head remorsefully. "I admire they're dedication, but I can't say I agree with their penchant for suicide. You did bring the body in for analysis, right?"

"Of course," George said as though it were obvious.

"Then we'll have the kid I.D. the body to confirm if he was attacked by them or not. In the meantime keep at it and see if you can find the others."

"Yes, sir."

When that matter of business was concluded Tseng decided to address a matter he'd been sitting on for days now. "Sir, if it isn't too much trouble, I was contemplating introducing the boy to Reeve Tuesti, since they both seem enjoy tinkering."

Alistair's eyebrows raised in piqued interest and he smiled. "I don't have any problem with it."

"I do," George exclaimed. "This kid is a criminal and you all are treating him like a guest. Giving him access to an area like the technological development who knows what havoc he'll wreak."

"I don't think he'll wreak any," Alistair stated easily. "Yes he does like to cause problems, but it seems that as far as technology goes, he's very careful with it."

"He seemed very open to the idea," Tseng pointed out. "I was able to make him promise to behave so he would have the opportunity."

"And has he?"

"Yes."

"No."

Alistair looked between the two and asked them to explain. "Just today he upset his babysitter and was chased through the halls until he instigated the distance gauge on the kid's earring."

"Wait, Rude actually chased him?" Alistair said with an amazed laugh. "I can't believe I missed that." He quickly became serious once more. "Alright, I'll ask Rude about it and see what he says. If he doesn't think we can trust him, then I won't go for it."

George seemed semi happy with this conclusion and asked to be excused. Once he was gone, Tseng sighed. "Sir, I honestly don't think…" he began.

"I know, Tseng," Alistair said with an understanding nod. "The kid may be a handful but I do think he has decent character. George may be a real tight ass, but that's only because he's committed to getting the job done as quickly as possible. Plus, I'm thinking he's starting to see the kid as a threat."

"If the Wutains want him, then he could very well be," Tseng acknowledged.

"Right, which is why I'm gonna give the kid some training, so he can defend himself if need be. Since you're our best shot there may come a point I'll have you show him the ropes with a gun, just as a heads up."

"You honestly want to train him?" Tseng asked. Alistair nodded and the younger Turk sighed. "Sir, I know you believe it will help in dealing with the Wutain threat. However, won't training him also make him more difficult to handle?"

"I've thought of that," Alistair acknowledged. "You're right, there is the chance he'll turn it around on us. However, I believe he won't at least until he learns the truth behind Shady Larry's death."

"I see...then I suppose I'll simply return to work and await the call," Tseng replied.

"Good man," he said with a nod. He got up from his chair and so did Tseng. Alistair approached Tseng, clapping a hand on the younger Turk's shoulder, and began steering him towards the door. "Now go have some down time with a bottle of scotch. I can tell you've been over working yourself again."

"I assure you, I'm doing quite well, sir," Tseng responded politely, moving himself out from under the large hand.

He didn't particularly enjoy the invasion of personal space he occasionally received from his superior. However, Alistair's candor towards his fellows was something he'd managed to come to terms with, and in some respects even admire, some time ago. The man just wasn't one for custom and formality when it came to collaboration.

For the longest time, those two things were all Tseng had ever known. Before he came to Shinra, that is.

"Just get some rest or I'll have you chained to your bed," Alistair told him as they reached the door. "And don't think for a second I won't follow up on that either."

"I wouldn't doubt for a second you would, sir."

* * *

"Get up."

It was early the next morning and for the first time since becoming roommates with the teen, Rude was forced to make him wake up. He spoke to him a couple times and shook his shoulder once or twice but he refused to budge. Then taking his superior's suggestion to heart, he situated himself at one end of the bed and flipped the mattress dumping the kid on the floor.

"Ouch! What the hell, man?" Reno demanded after landing full on the floor. "I only just managed to finally crash a few hours ago. You could have at least let me sleep for another hour or two."

"You have somewhere to go," Rude told him calmly. "Get dressed." Then just for good measure. "Karen's waiting."

At the sound of the strict looking female Turk, Reno's eyes shot up to Rude's covered ones. Seconds later he was on his feet fighting his way into his clothes before rushing his way into the bathroom to start brushing his teeth. He even attempted to slick his hair back, much to Rude's amusement, but it wouldn't do what he wanted and ended up looking more of a mess than when he started.

Once he was more or less satisfied with his appearance he strolled out of the bathroom, grinning from ear to ear. "Alright, let's get to it." Rude was more than tempted to roll his eyes at the teen, but this would just have been a waste of eye movement considering his sunglasses hid them. Rude led the way to the Department of Analysis where Karen was already there waiting for him.

"Good morning, Rude," she greeted properly with a nod. He silently answered with a nod in return. Karen then looked to Reno, who was standing a little behind Rude, a crooked smile on his face as he favored her with a small wave and a wink. Her lips tightening in a subtle grimace before she turned away from the pair. "If you would follow me, the body is in the evidence room."

"Wait… body?" Reno said curiously looking between her and Rude as he walked with them. "What body?"

"We managed to catch who we believe to be one of the four who attacked you," Karen answered tightly. "However, he killed himself before we were able to interrogate him. You are to ID his body, that's all."

"Honestly, I'd much rather inspect yours," Reno stated looking her up and down. It was clear from her pursed lips and clenched fists that she was trying very hard not to kick him where it really hurts.

"We're here," she stated after they walked in relative silence for awhile. Reno hadn't said much during the walk as he was enjoying his view far too much. "Make it fast," she ordered opening the door to the examination room.

Reno sighed, but went inside with Rude right behind him. The place wasn't very big and only really had a single table in the center of it with a covered body on top. There was the slightest scent of death in the air and it made his stomach churn.

Not wanting to let his reservations show, he went over to the body and pulled back the sheet, revealing the head and torso. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a corpse; death came often down in the slums, whether by hunger, poisoning, sickness, or getting stabbed for your clothes and wallet. It was the first time he actually examined one though. The eyes were closed and the lips parted slightly, as if the guy was sleeping, but the paleness of his skin and the lack of any sound or movement was absolute. Reno suppressed a shudder as he quickly examined the guy's features before covering him back up again.

"Yeah, he's definitely one of them," Reno muttered. "That's the guy whose arm I broke."

"Wutains are known to be highly trained warriors," Karen remarked dubiously. "So how, pray tell, did you manage such a feat?"

"I'd be happy to show you, in private," he said, getting his smirk back.

"Just explain," Rude muttered not wanting to see how Karen would punish him.

"Fine," Reno muttered putting his hands behind his head. "Honestly it was probably all luck. I doubt they really believed I could fight so they didn't have their guard up. This dude went and put his hand on my shoulder, so I grabbed it and shoved my hand into his elbow."

"And once you showed that, how were you able to fully escape?" Karen demanded sharply. "They wouldn't have gone easy on you then."

"No, they really didn't," Reno admitted reluctantly. "They actually had me pinned to the ground in almost no time. But luckily I got a hold of my lightning materia and let it rip. I think I managed to surprise them enough to where I could actually start running. No one can catch me once I start moving."

"Yes, you've made that quite clear," Karen said stiffly as she adjusted her glasses.

"Speaking of which, am I ever going to get those back?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He was more than a little perturbed they had taken those away from him considering they had both been given/passed onto him by two of the few people he'd ever come to respect in his whole life.

"Considering your current position, I wouldn't hold my breath," she replied. "Anyway, your business here is done. You both may go now."

"You sure you don't want me to stick around?" Reno asked her, all smiles. "I kind of enjoy the last beating you gave me."

"Rude…" Karen said in a low growl. Rude understood perfectly and began dragging Reno away by the collar.

"Hey, you can let me up now," Reno said after awhile. He couldn't even see Karen anymore so there was no point in Rude continuing to drag him away. "Seriously, I'm starting to lose the feeling in my legs." A few more feet of dragging and Rude finally let him up.

"Learn to keep your mouth shut," he stated calmly as he began walking off.

"Awe, but where's the fun in that?" Reno asked coming up to him. "I'd much rather just say whatever comes to mind."

Rude didn't reply but kept on walking and Reno obligingly followed. "So, is that all? Can I go back to sleep now?"

"No," Rude answered flatly. "Alistair said he wanted to see you."

"For what?"

"He didn't say."

"And of course you being the obedient golden boy didn't ask," Reno said with a roll of his eyes. "I wonder what new and fun ways he's planning on dicking me over today?"

Rude didn't admit it, but his thoughts were running along a similar line. Alistair seemed to have a rather twisted sense of humor. But the trainee Turk knew the man never did anything unless he found it absolutely crucial.

The two followed the hallway to a large door with the word "Stairs" painted across it. In front of the door stood Alistair. He smiled at the pair as they approached, increasing his sinister appearance.

"Glad you boys could make it," he greeted casually. "How'd the IDing process go?"

"Peachy," Reno grumbled. "Why'd you make me stare at a dead body?"

"I'm sure Karen explained all that so there's no reason for me to," Alistair answered with a shrug. "Anyway, my business right now is just with you kid, so Rude if you'd hand the device over."

Rude nodded and placed the small device into his superior's hand. "Thanks, now you probably have a lot of work to get done for that thing in a week. So go ahead, I'll return him to your room later." Rude nodded that he understood before turning and leaving.

"Alright, so let's get this over with," Reno said resignedly. "What are you having me do this time?"

"Well, kid, I've given this a lot of thought…"

"I'll bet that hurt."

Alistair smacked him over the head before continuing. "…and I've decided it would be best if you were properly trained in combat."

"You can't be serious," Reno muttered rubbing his head. "Don't you think training your captive to fight better is, oh I dunno, kind of fucking stupid?"

Alistair grinned. "Tseng thought the same thing, though of course he was more polite about it. Right now though, there are people after you who are very well trained in the art of combat. Worst case scenario, I want you to be able to hold your own if necessary."

Reno didn't buy it. They were keeping him under house arrest here specifically so that he wouldn't run into those bastards again. What's the point with the added training? "There's something else you're not telling me," Reno said shrewdly, crossing his arms over his chest. "What is it?"

"Look, kid, despite what you may think I don't enjoy keeping you locked up in here," the older man said seriously. "I'd rather you be able to go outside once in a while. But if and when that happens, I don't want me or my Turks to have to cover your ass and risk you getting captured."

"Wouldn't me being caught just mean that you wouldn't have to put up with me anymore?" Reno asked curiously.

"No, that'd be handing the enemy exactly what they want without knowing why it's wanted," Alistair answered calmly.

"Oh, I get it, then me leaving would simply be bait to drag them out," Reno answered. "Screw it, I'd rather stay in here than be used for something like that."

Alistair took a deep breath before grabbing a hold of Reno's collar and hauling him through the door onto the top landing to a very long staircase. "Alright, first things first. I want to see how good your stamina is," he stated once he let go. "You're going to run all the way down, and all the way back up these 60 flights of stairs."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Reno exclaimed, glancing down the stairs. "Besides, won't that thing activate if I get too far from you?"

"I'm going to expand its range just enough so that you can make it down there. But if you're not back in 30 minutes I'll activate it, so don't think about wandering off anywhere." His lifted up his arm and pressed a button on his watch. "I'll keep track of your time, starting now." He pressed another button. When Rneo didn't move Alistair raised an eyebrow. "Get moving, kid. Unless you really don't think you can handle it."

Reno swore and muttered under his breath before turning towards the stairs and beginning his decent. He'd show that asshole what he could do. How hard could 60 flights be?

He raced down the steps taking them two at a time and in less than 10 minutes he was at the bottom. Taking a second to celebrate his good time, he turned and began climbing the stairs. He kept up his good pace for quite a few floors, but started to feel the immense difference when he reached the 30th floor. His muscles were beginning to tire, but he kept to his pace.

At floor 40 he began to slow just a bit but his stubbornness kept him pushing it. At floor 50 he was panting a bit as his muscles groaned at the strain. By the time he reached the top he was panting pretty hard and his legs shook a bit having never done anything quite like it.

"Nice job kid," Alistair congratulated. "You did better than I thought. You managed it all in 28 minutes."

"Ha...now what do you think of my speed?" Reno gloated trying to rub it in his face.

"Not bad...but you could still do better," he answered as he turned and started heading through the door. "It's onto the next thing, kid. Oh and the distance limit is activated again so don't fall behind."

The red head scowled a little but followed, his legs still a bit shaky from the strain they just endured. The next place Alistair led him to was some sort of weight training room. All around were several different machines to work out different parts of the body. Along the walls were weights, dumb bells, and stretching bands. There were also some balls and folded mats.

"Strength training, huh?" Reno guessed, not all that enthused.

"That's right. Now that you've put on some healthy weight, you can turn some of that into muscle and strengthen you up a bit," the Turk explained. "You may be fast, but your blows lack intensity. My grandmother could hit harder than you."

"Is she built like a tank too?" Reno asked. "Because that would actually be believable."

"Get over here smart ass," Alistair said, standing next to a bench with a metal bar suspended over it. "I wanna see how much you can bench."

The red head reluctantly went over and settled himself down on the bench. In the past, he'd occasionally visit the gym in Sector 6 Wall Market. It'd never really did anything for him though, he much preferred aerobic exercise to mundane weight lifting.

Alistair went over to the wall where the weights sat. "How much you think you can handle?"

"At least a hundred I think," Reno answered scratching his head. "I never really bothered with this shit before. I liked the cardio better."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see what your limit is," Alistair stated as he popped an even amount of weights on both sides of the bar. "Alright, that's one hundred pounds. I want you to do three sets of ten of these and we'll see how well you do."

Reno grumbled something about the whole thing being stupid, as he sat down on the bench and slipped underneath the bar. "Just so we're clear, you are gonna be spottin' me right? I'd rather not have this thing crush me."

"Don't worry kid, we have a big enough need for you at the moment where letting you die would be a bad idea," Alistair told him trying to be reassuring.

"Thanks," Reno muttered. He reached up and put both hands onto the bar and pushed. The amount of weight on the bar wasn't too much so he was easily able to bring it down and move it back up for the first set without any issues.

"Alright, hold up there. It looks like that was too easy for you," Alistair suddenly ordered and Reno replaced the bar.

"Okay, and what's the problem with that?"

"You're not going to grow at all if you go the easy route." As he spoke, the large Turk added an extra ten pounds to each side. "Now do your next set."

By the time Reno was finished his arms were a little shaky but not too bad. The next thing Alistair did was see how many sit ups he could do. He managed about 167 before he had to stop for fear his gut would split open. Next was push-ups, which Reno started off at a good pace. He got to about 20 when he felt something being rested on his back and suddenly pushing up became more difficult.

He glared up at Alistair. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Just giving you a bit of an extra challenge," he told him. "Keep going."

Reno cursed but he did keep going, not want to break stride or give up so early. After another 20 he felt more added weight, and then again at the sixty mark.

Around 80 his arms were becoming very shaky and he was getting to the point where he had to pause between each push up to catch his breath and give his arms a small reprieve. He never made it to 100. His arms gave out at 91.

"Not bad for your first work out," Alistair congratulated, taking the weights off his back. "I think we can call it quits for today. We'll be doing this again same time tomorrow."

"Great," Reno muttered sarcastically, sitting up and rubbing his aching muscles. He was feeling sore all over and he didn't doubt it'd feel worse the next morning.

"Oh, one other thing…" The older man strode over to one of the supply closets and grabbed a few items before tossing them to Reno. "From now on you'll wear those, save for when you're showering or sleeping."

"Weights? I'm not wearing these," Reno declared dropping them to the ground.

"Yes you are," Alistair replied crossing his arms and smirking. "Unless you'd rather be judged as not behaving and are denied your visit with Reeve."

"You're a real ass," Reno grumbled, but he did slip the weights onto his ankles and wrists. "What's the point in wearing these anyway? They're just making it harder to mo... That's it isn't it?! You're just trying to make it even harder for me to do anything around here."

"Looks like you caught me kid," the older man laughed looking him over. "But whether you choose to go along with this or not keep this in mind. If I catch you roaming around without them on, you will be penalized."

The red head scowled at him, but said nothing. Instead he just looked forward to the day if Alistair decided to keep his promise about taking him out drinking. Reno swore when that day came, he was gonna drink this guy into bankruptcy.

* * *

It was late at night, and the streets of Shinra were practically dead. In a phone booth, a surreptitious call was once more being made.

"I certainly hope you have good news for me," the smooth, cold voice said over the phone. "I lost a fine warrior for your sake."

"I deeply apologize for that, my liege," the person on the phone murmured. "Tohru's death was regrettable but necessary."

"Do not tell me what is necessary," the voice warned dangerously.

"Of course, I apologize," the person murmured. "Things are becoming more difficult with the boy though. They are giving him more leeway than normal. The second in command has even taken to training him on his off time. If it continues it'll be even more difficult to apprehend him."

"Then I suggest you put an end to it and get him in a position where we can have access to him before that occurs," the cold voice replied.

"I think I may have exactly what you're looking for," the person chuckled lightly. "Tomorrow night he'll be leaving the building for the first time since arriving. The second in command is taking his candidate and the boy out for drinks. They'll be completely drunk and their guard should be dropped."

"Is that so?" There was a long, pensive pause before the voice spoke again. "Very well, I shall have a few more of my troops go to the city. When you discover the exact time, let them know so they may be prepared."

"Of course, sir."

"By the way, what is your progress on that other project?"

"It's still not finished yet, sir," was the reluctant reply. "This sort of development involves a great deal of trial and error, and I do not have the necessary access to certain materials. But I'm positive I will get it right. I just need more time."

"See to it that you do. I grow tired of this war, and I desire to see its end."

* * *

CM: Looks like things are stirring up in the shadows, and Reno's having not so much fun. But no worries, we see better and brighter things in his future. :D Stay tuned and please review!


	12. Meeting New People

**Chapter 12: Meeting New People**

It was a few days later that Reno found himself following behind Tseng. His arms and legs were tired for the day before as he spent all of it either training or trying to relax with the weights dragging down his limbs. He was glad to have the break from the tiring training though he would have rather been with his bald roommate.

One good thing about his current trip, was he was finally being allowed to visit with the technological department head. Before getting onto the elevator, the stoic Turk actually suggested that he bring Monty with him, which he currently held in his weighted arms.

"So, what's this Reeve guy like anyway?" he asked for the umpteenth time as they stepped off the elevator. Tseng still hadn't given him a concrete answer and he wanted to know at least something about the man before he met with him.

"You'll see," the Turk answered calmly. He had come to realize that the best way to deal with the redhead was just to stick to your original answer and not let him get under you skin. Eventually he'd get bored and give up.

The hall had an open area leading to a three way fork. Reno glanced around and saw several bins with discarded electronics and scrap material. Immediately he wanted to go digging around to see if there was anything useful he could stuff into his pockets, but Tseng was already off down the right branch and if Reno dithered for too long he'd be a twitching mass on the floor.

Some of the doors along the way stood open, allowing Reno to glance in and get a peek at the goings on. He couldn't get a real good eyeful though with Tseng's ever steady pace.

As they continued on, something came whizzing around the corner and Reno had to jump aside to avoid getting his feet ran over. When it came to a stop, he could see it was a miniature version of a 1970 Diablo.

"Whoa, sorry about that," one of the tech guy said coming around the corner with a remote in his hands. When he saw Tseng he immediately adopted a more serious attitude.

"We're here to see, Reeve," Tseng told him simply.

"Oh, chief's in his office," the guy said before glancing at Reno and then the bot in his arms. "Hey, nice toy ya got there."

Reno couldn't help but grin. "Right back atcha."

Tseng didn't even bother getting Reno 's attention as he continued down the hall towards the specified room. The redhead gave a short wave to the guy with the 1970 Diablo and followed after Tseng.

A little while later, he finally stopped in front of a door that was wide open. Before entering the room Reno could already see he would probably like the guy.

The room was filled to bursting with odds and ends of scrap and other spare parts; some old and rusted while others shined looking brand new. As he stepped inside, he noticed that in one corner there were piles of unfinished projects while in the only semi cleared area sat a desk where a dark haired man sat.

"Oh, Tseng, what brings you all the way here?" he asked looking up and noticing the pair. "Need a new phone for a new rookie?"

"You seem to be doing well, Reeve," Tseng greeted. "But no we are not here for business."

This seemed to intrigue the department head. "Ah, is this the young man I've been hearing about?" he asked, looking past Tseng at the red head who was currently preoccupied with a device with a working propeller. "Mr. Reno, was it?"

Hearing his name, the teen's head swiveled in Reeve's direction. "Yeah, that's me. Though it's just Reno. I'm not as old as you are, pops."

In the back of his mind, Tseng had the inclination to throttle Reno for his blatant show of disrespect. Reeve, however, merely laughed.

"Yes, well, despite my being years ahead of you, I am younger than most department heads. Very well, Reno then." He stood up from his chair. "So, from what little Tseng has told me, he said you have a knack for putting things together."

Reno shrugged. "I guess you could say that. It's just kind of a hobby. Or maybe even a habit. I dunno, I just like pulling crap apart and then making something out of it."

"Hmm...might I see that device you have there?" he asked pointing at the robot in the redhead's hands.

"Sure I guess," he answered handing it over. "His name's Monty. You can try him out or whatever, just don't break him."

Reeve took the little robot and set him on a cleared space on his desk and turned him on. "Hello," it greeted looking up at Reeve.

"Hmm, interesting," he murmured looking it over. "What is its function?"

"I made it for the TK," Reno bragged. "It can clean up whatever mess you make and can even make your food for you."

"Hmm...clean," Reeve stated staring intently at the machine.

"Cleaning," Monty responded as he turned and began picking up the mess on the desk and stacking it into neat piles.

"Haha, what a useful little invention," he murmured watching Monty move. Then a thought struck him. "Are you the one who was able to fry a Turk PHS?"

"Uh, yeah," Reno admitted a little less readily. "I take it you're the guy who makes em?"

"Yes, and I'm curious to know how you managed it," Reeve asked looking interested rather than perturbed.

"It wasn't that hard," Reno stated bluntly. "All I used was the magnetron from an old microwave to make an EMP doo-dad. The range isn't that great but it'll kill anything that runs electronically."

"Remarkable," said the department head, clearly impressed. "Might I have a look?"

"You'll have to ask these jerks," Reno said jabbing his thumb at Tseng who had thus far been standing by quietly listening and observing. "They took all my stuff."

"Don't worry about it then," he told Reno easily. "Though I have to ask where you learned to work with machines so easily."

"Uh...I just sort of picked it up," he answered frowning slightly. At the question he started to wonder if it was another ploy to find out more about his old guardian.

"Oh please, even I didn't just "pick it up". I was taught everything I know at a University," Reeve told him honestly. "Now living in the slums you probably had no opportunity to learn at such a place. Who down in the slums could have been skilled enough to pass along their knowledge to you?"

Reno wrestled with himself for a few, debating on whether or not to tell the truth. It's not like it was any secret from the Turks that he was involved with Shady Larry, but even still… he didn't like talking about his past with strangers. Even if he did think Reeve was one of the cooler people he'd met thus far.

"I learned it from a crazy old man with a few screws loose," he answered. Well, that was true enough.

"I see," Reeve said with a nod, seeing he wasn't going to get much more than that. "You very rarely find people who are so well versed in this area. My old professor was one of those gifted ones. A shame they made him retire."

"Yeah, sure whatever," Reno mumbled. He didn't really get what the guy was going on about but if he was so hi up and complementing his skill, then what did it matter. "So, besides those phones, what else do you make up here?"

"All sorts of things," Reeve told him with a laugh. "So many incredible things that your head may explode from the sheer excitement of hearing it all."

"Seriously? Like what?" Reno exclaimed. Now he was excited and he wanted to hear what people with tons of cash were able to make.

"Well, vehicles for one," Reeve told him. "But since you're not technically with the company that's all I can really say. I'd get into trouble if I went and told you the details."

"Tch, then why mention them at all?" Reno muttered crossing his arms. These jerks really had a way with building up his expectations before smashing them to pieces.

"My sincerest apologies," Reeve said before checking his watch. "Sadly, I wouldn't have the time to explain it anyway as I have a meeting in 10 minutes and preparations to make before that."

"We'll leave you to that then," Tseng told him before looking to Reno expectantly. When he didn't say nor do anything, the Wutain smacked him over the head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Mr. Tuesti took valuable time out of his day to meet with you," Tseng explained to him patiently. "The least you could do is thank him."

"Gah, fine. Thanks, pops. Ow!" He glared at Tseng who'd smacked him again before muttering, "I mean, Reeve."

He rubbed his now sore head as Reeve accepted their thanks and handed him back Monty. "Perhaps we'll meet again," he said in amusement. "Maybe then we'll build something together. If nothing else I'd love to see how you work."

"I suppose we'll have to set up another meeting later then," Tseng replied with a light nod. "Take care, Reeve."

"You as well, Tseng," the head replied as the Turk steered Reno out of the room. "Hmm...that boy's skill, reminds me of my old professor's way of thinking." He shrugged his shoulders sure it wouldn't be possible and began preparing for his meeting.

* * *

"I don't need someone watching me 24/7. I'm not some pet, dammit!"

It was the next day and Rude was preparing to leave for a mission. His first official mission. When he told Reno he'd be leaving him with someone else, the red head took offense to it. He supposed he should have used better wording, but really there weren't many other ways to say it. While the red head was getting high-quality treatment for someone being detained, he was sorely lacking his much needed and much desired freedom and privacy.

"Why can't I just be left on my own for a while?" Reno asked. "Just give me the device and I'll… I dunno, hang out here and watch TV."

"You'd be wandering around within the hour," Rude told him bluntly as he made sure his items were in order.

"Oh come on, I'm not gonna be wandering around," Reno argued. "I promise I'll just sit my ass in front of the tube for most of it...and then I'll just kill time in the training room. The TK and the training room what's wrong with that?"

"No." That's all Rude answered with as he finished his preparations and walked out the door forcing Reno to follow.

Just outside the door, Cissnei stood there waiting for them. "So, you all set, Rude?" she asked politely sending a smile to Reno.

He nodded and wordlessly handed over the device before heading off. "So, you're my babysitter for today?" Reno asked putting on his most enticing smile.

"Yes, and as long as you're up for it, I'm taking you out for a bit," she told him with a light giggle.

"So, we get to have an actual date today? I'm all for it," Reno replied sliding an arm around her shoulders. "As long as it ends with you and me back here with the tube on for background noise."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Cissnei told him giving his hand a firm pinch to get him to quickly withdraw it. "However, if you'd like we can play some card games in the TK afterwards."

Reno rubbed his hand, not looking too put out by her polite yet blatant rejection. "Yeah, I guess that works too." As they got onto the elevator he asked, "So where are we going in the meantime?"

"Well, since you seem to enjoy running so much, I thought I could show you our company's track field," Cissnei told him. "There's also an obstacle course inside of it. It's mostly used by soldiers, but occasionally the Turks will use it too."

"Huh, sounds interesting…" It was definitely a good way to burn off some of his excess energy, though he wouldn't be able to match his top speed with the weights on. At least he'd be getting some fresh air though. He might even check out the obstacle course while he was at it.

The two of them exited the elevator, Cissnei keeping good pace with Reno's longer strides. As they descended the stairs, they heard a commotion going on at the reception desk. From what Reno could tell, a girl in a wheelchair was arguing with the receptionist.

"Are you kidding me? What kind of company has a huge set of stairs leading up to the elevator? The least you could have done was installed a ramp or something."

"Miss, I had no say in Shinra's construction," the desk woman said with forced calm. "As I said before, if you'd like I can call up whoever it is you wish to see…"

"No, I want it to be a surprise," the girl in the wheelchair said stubbornly.

The desk woman had just about enough. "If your business is not official then I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to…"

"Hey, what's the problem?" Reno asked arriving on scene.

Cissnei meanwhile stood off to the side shaking her head with a sigh but doing nothing to stop him.

He glanced between the two females. The desk woman he was rather familiar with, the wheelchair girl… well, he was sure he'd enjoy getting familiar with her. She was a real cutie with tanned skin, brown eyes, and dark brown hair with caramel brown highlights done up in a high ponytail.

"Finally, someone helpful," she said with a relieved smile, turning her wheelchair around to face Reno. "Can you get me up there?" she asked pointing to the second floor balcony. "I would but… this thing doesn't handle stairs very well."

"No, I don't imagine it would," Reno replied with a humored smile.

"Miss, I already told you…" the woman began but Reno stopped her.

"Come on, Mary… I'm sure the lady doesn't mean any harm," he said easily. "Why not let it slide just this once?"

"But… I can't just…" she faltered when Reno stepped forward and discreetly placed a hand on hers.

Leaning in, he said in a very low voice. "Please, just do this one favor for me? I promise I'll take full responsibility."

"Ah…. Well… I-I suppose," she replied in a fluster.'

"Thanks," he said with a smile before turning to the girl in the wheelchair. "Alright, let's get you up those stairs." He made to push her chair out of politeness but she assured him she had it.

"Thanks a bunch," the girl said gratefully as she rolled alongside Reno towards the stairs. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come along."

"Believe me, it's my pleasure," he said glancing down at her. She must still be in school if her dress wear was any indication. She wore what appeared to be a school uniform, a white blouse with a dark blue tie under a dark blue jacket and a matching skirt. The first few buttons of her blouse were undone and the dark blue tie loosened, not quite showing off but hinting at the treasures that lay in hiding. "So how do you want to do this?" he asked when they got to the foot of the stairs. "I could pull you up, you'd just have to hang on real tight."

"Forget that," the girl said waving her hand as if swatting away the idea. "Just carry me up and you can come back for my chair."

Reno was a little surprised at the suggestion. He had to admit, he liked how forward she was. "Well, if you insist." He leaned down and carefully scooped her out of the chair and cradled her in his arms. She was fairly light, so it wasn't that hard to lift her. She got comfortable, showing not a hint of shyness as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "And away we go." Reno tried to be somewhat of a gentleman and not look down her shirt as he carried her up the stairs.

"Hehe, looks like I lucked out," the girl in his arms said with a small laugh.

"How so?" he asked, keeping a steady pace so as not to jostle her too much.

"Well, I doubt just anyone would carry a strange girl they don't even now up a set of stairs."

"Are you kidding? Cute girl like you, I'd carry you all the way up to the top floor if you asked."

She laughed at that. "You seem like a pretty okay guy. What should I call you?"

"Reno," he answered. He'd finally reached the top of the stairs but didn't set her down straight away. Instead he glanced down at the girl in his arms. "Mind if I ask what your name is?"

"Oh, of course. My name is…" Just then, the elevator doors opened and Reno instinctively turned to see Rude come step out of them. When Rude noticed Reno there, his body stiffened in what appeared to be shock. The red head wondered what was with the weird look, when the girl sudden lifted one of her arms in a wave towards the bald man.

"Hey, big brother!"

As the girl called out, Reno nearly dropped her in surprise. Of all the girls he could have helped out and even hit on, it had to be the sibling of his roommate.

"Nina...where's your chair?" Rude demanded having regained his normal appearance.

"Oh, quit worrying, it's right there," she replied pointing it out over Reno's shoulder. "There was no ramp so I needed some help getting to the elevator to come see you. I was just lucky this guy agreed to it so readily."

Rude's stare went from the crippled girl to the one holding her and darkened. "Woah, hey, Rude, I swear I had no idea," Reno stuttered taking a small step back. Considering the last time he so much as mentioned Rude's sister he was socked in the jaw, he felt he had good reason to be worried.

"Oh, you know my brother?" Nina asked looking to Reno in surprise.

"Uh, yeah, we're roomies," Reno explained quickly, feeling that having her in his arms was the only thing keeping him from getting mortally wounded right now.

Before anymore could be said, Rude approached Reno and held out his arms. "Get the chair." This was not a request but a demand, and Reno had no troubles interpreting it: Hand over my sister and get the chair before I snap off your arms.

Reno nodded and quickly but carefully deposited Nina into Rude's arms before running back down the stairs to bring up the wheelchair. The brown haired girl grinned before wrapping her arms around Rude's neck tightly in a hug.

"It's been so long. I've missed you."

"You weren't supposed to come," Rude sighed though he seemed to have a relaxed a bit.

"Right because after everything you can't bear to look at me or mom, can you?" she teased. He didn't move but his face seemed a bit down. "I'm kidding. Look I'm sure you read my letter so you knew I was going to be in town. I'm not about to pass up an opportunity to visit with my big brother while I'm at it."

"You should be focused on school," Rude stated as Reno made it up the stairs with the seat.

"I will be...but I'm still going to visit you whether or not you're going to be sour over it," Nina told him firmly.

He shook his head in frustration before sitting her in her seat. "So, why don't you show me around?" she requested after adjusting herself.

"Can't...mission," he replied firmly.

"Uh, no worries, I'll do it," Reno volunteered reminding the pair that he was there.

Rude sent him a look that spoke volumes on how much he opposed that idea.

"Pardon me," Cissnei said, coming up from behind Reno. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nina," she said approaching the girl with an outstretched hand. "I'm Cissnei, I'm one of Rude's coworkers."

"Nice to meet you," Nina said as the two shared in a handshake.

"I'm sorry to say this, but Rude's going on a rather important mission, so today really isn't a good time to visit," the female Turk explained apologetically. "However, if you wanted to come back either tomorrow or the next day, he should have some free time then. Does that sound alright, Rude?"

Rude was rather grateful to Cissnei for stepping in at that moment, and he let her know so with a silent nod.

Nina appeared disappointed by this news but she gave a compliant sigh. "Alright, I understand."

Rude took the time to help her back down the stairs before saying goodbye and heading out for his mission. Nina waved goodbye to her brother before turning towards the other two. "Well, I guess I'd better get back home. I'll be back tomorrow though if you'll help me up the stairs again," she told them. "Oh and don't worry about my brother, he get's overly protective but he's a teddy bear." She was looking at Reno when she said this and he chuckled at that.

"I'd say more of a grizzly the way he was glaring at me," he laughed making her giggle as well.

"Well, just make sure you'll hang out with us tomorrow and you'll see," Nina promised grinning widely at him. "Have fun, you guys."

As Reno watched the girl wheel herself out the entrance, he heard Cissnei let out a sigh from beside him. "You really do know how to land yourself into trouble, don't you?"

"I wasn't trying to," Reno protested. "I seriously didn't know."

"Well, just be careful from here on out," she said to him as she led the way to a corridor that led towards the back of the building. "Rude seemed rather upset about her coming here. I know you can't seem to help yourself when it comes to being friendly towards women, but try to refrain from it around Nina, for Rude's sake."

"No problems there," Reno grumbled shoving his hands in his pockets. "Getting slaughtered by an over protective brother is not on my to-do list."

"Good, now let's get to the track," Cissnei murmured taking a hold of his arm and leading him outside the back. "So what do you think?"

"I think I may learn to like it here," he answered eyeing the large area in front of him. "You guys seriously get to use this all the time? I sometimes forget that plate dwellers have got it made."

"We're not all as lucky as you might think," Cissnei murmured.

Reno didn't say anything in response to that. "Hey, did you wanna race? I got these weights on so you actually might stand a chance."

She shook her head in reply. "Thanks, but I already had my workout this morning. I'm going to sit this one out. You go ahead, I'll keep time."

Reno shrugged in a 'suit yourself' manner before picking a starting point on the track. When Cissnei gave him the signal, he dashed forward. While his body was slowly getting used to the added weight, Reno could feel it hindering his overall speed and taking an extra shot at his stamina. By the time he finished the first lap around the entire field, he was winded.

"How'd I do?" he asked between pants.

"Two minutes and seven seconds," Cissnei announced. "For running a quarter mile, that's pretty good."

"I seriously took that much time?" he asked straightening up and going over to her. "Geeze, these weights are more irritating than I thought."

"Really? You still seemed to be going pretty fast," Cissnei pointed out.

"Well I was going as fast as I could," Reno replied plopping down on the bench beside her. "It's still only half my normal speed though."

"Hmm, I'm sure Alistair has his reasons for putting those on you," Cissnei commented.

"Yeah, cuz he enjoys torturing me."

"Well, that's probably only part of it."

"How long have you been a Turk anyway?" Reno asked looking her over. "I mean, hell, you look younger than I am."

"Yes, it's true, I am younger," she said with a nod. "I was raised by Shinra at a very young age. I became an official Turk when I was eleven."

Reno whistled. "Damn… I take back what I said earlier. Sounds like you had it pretty rough."

"At first I thought so," she said softly. "But I've met some really nice people along the way. The Turks included. At this point, I don't think I could imagine a life without them."

"Huh, well that's definitely a positive way of looking at it. I know I can't complain, I kinda like the person you turned out to be," Reno said with a smile.

Cissnei was a little surprised by the sudden gentleness but reminded herself that was just… him. She watched as he stood back up. He'd gotten his breath back and was ready for another go.

"I'm gonna try to beat my time. Got the timer ready?"

"Ready when you are," she said with a smile.

* * *

CM: Poor Reno, talk about coincidence/irony/bad luck all rolled into one. He might want to be careful if he wants to keep a full set of teeth. Still, it looks like he's making some friends, which is always good. Now how long until he makes trouble?


	13. Round Three

**Chapter 13: Round Three**

After Reno was able to get in a quarter mile at a little under two minutes, he then gave the obstacle course a try. It was roughly two hours before his hunger and thirst got the better of him and he called it quits.

Together, he and Cissnei went up to the TK where he collapsed on one of the couches. Cissnei was kind enough to fix him up a large triple meat sandwich with cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce and bring it over to him, along with a bottle of water.

"This is great," he said taking a bite of the sandwich. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she murmured drinking some water herself. She was impressed by his stamina and how long he was able to stay out there, even with the weights on.

He guzzled down his water and devoured his sandwich as he sat watching the TV. "So, just out of curiosity, how long have the others been here?" he asked after a few moments. "They weren't all recruited at that age were they?"

"Of course not," Cissnei chuckled. "I was the youngest member. Take Rude for example, he still hasn't become official and he's at least a couple years older than you."

That did make a hell a lot more sense now that he thought about it. "Huh… so what's the process exactly? You know, to becoming a Turk."

"Well, it's different for everyone to be honest," she explained. "Some apply for it, but there have been several cases where they were found and brought to Shinra."

His eyes widened. "Against their will?"

She shook her head. "Not usually."

"Oh, how comforting was that?" thought Reno.

"In any case, in order to become a candidate you need to have a Turk who is willing to sponsor you," Cissnei concluded.

"Gotcha, so then who's…" Reno trailed off when Rude suddenly entered the room.

The guy looked terrible. Not so much in his physical appearance but his mood. His usual, stony expression was even harder than the red head considered to be normal.

"Hey, Rude, have a good mission?" he asked after he watched the bald Turk collapse into a chair. He didn't answer and refused to even look at either of them.

"Was it successful?" Cissnei asked seeming to understand the aura he was giving off.

He nodded slowly and continued to face the TV, though it was impossible to tell if he was actually watching it.

"So, what'd you have to...?" Reno started to ask but Cissnei cut him off.

"Do you need anything Rude? Or should we just leave you alone for awhile?" she asked covering Reno's mouth before he could finish his question.

"Do what you want," he grunted in reply.

Cissnei nodded in understanding before tugging Reno's sleeve to get him moving. "Come on, let's go."

Reno wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but it was obvious the guy wasn't itching for company. So, picking up the remainder of his sandwich and water bottle, he followed the younger Turk out the door. "I don't get it," Reno said, stuffing the rest of the bread and meat into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before saying, "If it was a success, why is he so bummed?"

"Being a Turk… it's not always easy," Cissnei told him. "Especially not in the beginning."

Reno was about to ask, but he realized that he should probably let it go. That particular topic seemed like it was almost taboo, so he didn't ask anything else. As the two headed down the hallway just sort of meandering around, they spotted Alistair strolling in the opposite direction.

"Hey old man, what are you doing now?" Reno called out. Cissnei nudged him in the ribs a bit to warn him to not be so disrespectful.

"Actually I was looking for you and Rude," the larger Turk answered calmly. Then he directed towards Cissnei, "I'll be taking him for the remainder of the day." Cissnei nodded and handed over the device.

"Well, it's been fun, Reno," she said with a nod to the red head. She saluted to Alistair before leaving them both.

"Why is it you always have this sour look whenever I'm around?" the older man asked.

"Any guy would look like this after having the company of a cute girl traded for a goateed, glowing-eyed bulldozer."

Alistair shook his head. "And to think, I was planning on taking you out drinking tonight."

Reno looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You were being serious?" he asked noticing the lack of change in the man's demeanor. "What's the catch?"

"Well, we're bringing Rude along," Alistair stated as he headed down the hall back to the TK. "That's it though. Feel free to drink as much as you want tonight."

"You're gonna regret saying that," Reno smirked. He was going to make good on his promise no matter what.

When they reached the TK, they found Rude was in the same place Reno had left him in minutes ago. Staring morosely at the TV without a single movement. Reno was tempted to see what he could do to the bald man without him doing anything, but something told him doing so would only make things worse.

Alistair approached Rude with no fear or falter, and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "It's tough, I know," he told him. "But trust me, it'll do you no good to dwell on it. You know why you're here, you chose this path. Don't stop walking just because it's darker than you thought it would be."

Rude said nothing but his head bowed slightly, as if to acknowledge the older Turk's words. Reno was a little surprised at how… fatherly the man was being. He was actually being serious and empathetic for once.

"Come out and have a drink with us, son. I guarantee it'll take the edge off your day."

There were a few minutes of silence before he finally got to his feet and faced them. Alistair smiled warmly at him when he stood and slid an arm around his shoulders before ushering him out of the TK. Reno followed closely behind them.

* * *

The trip was mostly silent with the occasional comment from Reno that Alistair would reply to in amusement. After about ten minutes of walking they finally reached the bar in question. Right away Reno could tell the older Turk was a frequent customer as the bartender greeted the group calling them over to the main bar.

"Alistair, it's been awhile since you've been here," he stated brushing at his long light brown mustache. "These boys with you today?"

"Yes they are," he answered sitting in between the other two. "It's a celebration of sorts. Rude here just became official."

"That's great," the bartender exclaimed pulling out a few bottles. "So then will it be the usual or something special?"

"I'll let the boys order first Charlie," Alistair replied gesturing to either side of him.

Reno wasted absolutely no time in getting his order in. "I'll have a pitcher of your best beer."

The bartender glanced at Reno before looking over at Alistair. "Is he of age?"

"A 1000 Gil tip says he is," Alistair said with a chuckle. "Plus I kind of already promised him. Don't make a liar out of me, Charlie."

"Ah, well, since it's you… and what about you, sir?" he asked looking at Rude.

"I'll have something hard," Rude answered after a moment.

Once they had all ordered their drinks, Reno started in on a bowl of complimentary peanuts that was sitting on the bar table. Minutes later all three of them had their drinks and Alistair raised his glass. "Here's to you, Rude. I couldn't have asked for a better candidate."

Rude didn't say anything, but he raised his glass as well and clinked it against the other's. To their right, Reno cried out, "Here here!" and raised his own glass as well.

Rude sipped on his drink staring at the counter while Alistair downed his drink and to his right Reno made it half way through his pitcher. The redhead was enjoying his alcohol as he hadn't been able to have any in a long time. He glanced over at Alistair who was teasing him by rubbing his head with one of his large hands and downing another glass.

Then his eyes fell on Rude who was still staring morosely at the counter top. "Hey baldy," he called out getting to his feet and walked over to sit on Rude's other side. "Not much of a drinker huh?"

"You shouldn't be..." Rude muttered.

"Why, cause I ain't old enough?" Reno asked. "Look, I probably have way more experience with alcohol than you. I've been drinking since I was ten."

That certainly explained a lot, thought Rude.

"I bet I could out drink you, no sweat."

At last Rude turned to look at him, frowning a little. "Doubtful." While the teen may have put on some noticeable weight ever since coming to Shinra, the teen with his scrawny build was probably a good thirty to forty pounds less than Rude.

"Try me," Reno challenged with a confident smirk. "I'll bet you 500 Gil that I can drink more than you within the hour."

"You don't have money," Rude told him, though he wasn't necessarily turning down the challenge.

"No, but if I lose I'll do all the cleaning for a full week. That's fair, right?"

Rude thought it over for a minute. While he wasn't normally what you would call competitive, the idea of being outdone by the red headed punk got to him for some reason.

"Fine," he said downing his drink and turning the glass over. "You won't win."

Alistair watched the two prepare for the contest and got the bartender's attention. "Charlie, we've got a competition going on. Care to be the judge?"

"Sure thing," he said coming over and placing another glass in front of both of them. "Good luck boys. Let me know if you've had enough."

Reno nodded enthusiastically and took the next glass as did Rude. "You're goin' down baldy," Reno declared. Rude just stared at him as he lifted his own glass then they both downed them and set their glasses upside down on the counter.

"Are you certain it's okay for that kid to be drinking so much?" Charlie asked Alistair as the two competitors downed another two glasses each.

"He'll be fine," Alistair laughed. "That kid will surprise you in more ways than you think."

The two men watched as Reno and Rude went at it, drinking glass after glass of alcohol. Alistair couldn't help but smile as he watched the pair. At first glance the two were as different as different could be. One was reserved, a level headed guy who followed the rules and did what needed to be done without question. The other was uninhibited, a loose cannon playing by no else's rules but his own. So different, and yet the two were like peas in a pod. Not polar opposites, just different enough to where they balanced each other out. At that moment, the second in command was glad he'd had the notion of putting them together.

Roughly an hour later, both males were at their fifteenth glass. Reno was heckling the guy like no tomorrow while Rude just sat silently, no doubt focusing on trying to keep his head steady under the alcohol's influence.

"Ya okay there, baldy," Reno asked, releasing a small hiccup. "Yer lookin' a little flushed."

"Same with you," Rude muttered, giving his head a small shake.

"You gettin' woosy old man?" Reno taunted knocking back another glass and clumsily slamming it onto the counter. "I can keep goin' 'ntil mornin'."

"I'm not finished," Rude stated managing to keep his slur back as he too knocked back another.

"Haha...you guys are doing great," Alistair laughed, his cheeks slightly red. "Hey, the winner gets a free day tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, I'm gettin' it free," Reno exclaimed knocking back one more.

"I am," Rude declared firmly.

They each threw back three more before neither of them could manage to find the next one.

At this point, the Turk leader felt he probably shouldn't let them continue or Charlie might have a real mess on his hands. "Alright, boys, time to pack it in. We'll call this one a draw."

"No way, old man," Reno declared loudly his upper half draped across the bar table. "I swore I'd drink ya ta bankruptcy and that's what I'm gonna do. Plus there's no way I'd lose to, baldy."

"I'm not done yet," Rude mumbled, clearly not satisfied with a stalemate either. He was using both elbows to keep himself propped up.

"Nice to see you two can agree on something," Alistair said, getting up from his chair. "But that's my final word.

The Turk paid the hefty bill as well as leaving the promised tip before picking the protesting Reno up and easily slinging him over one shoulder. "Let's get a move on, Rude, unless you'd care to ride my other shoulder." Rude shook his head before forcing himself to stand up. He was a bit unsteady on his feet and Alistair helped the guy by steadying him with his free hand. "I don't think I've ever seen you get so shit faced before," he chuckled. "Thanks, a bunch, Charlie."

The bartender smiled and nodded. "Anytime, you boys have yourselves a goodnight."

The three left the bar; Reno draped over Alistair's shoulder completely drunk and Rude swaying as he walked (with help) next to his superior. "Well, draw or not I think I'll give both of you a day off tomorrow," he said making the redhead cheer and the bald Turk nod slowly. "Just because working on a hangover is killer."

"Thanks," Rude managed as he swayed a bit more and Alistair tightened his hold on him.

"Alright, Goatee's givin' us free day!" Reno cheered in a drunken singsong voice.

Alistair laughed at his reaction. He couldn't help but think they should do this more often, if for no other reason than Reno being a very entertaining drunk.

They managed to get a block away from the bar when Alistair's gaze was drawn to the shadows by a hint of movement. He'd had a few drinks himself, but he was still sober enough to be on guard. His eyes did a subtle but thorough scan of the surrounding area and he didn't like what he found. "Rude," he muttered quietly to the younger Turk while keeping a jovial grin plastered on his face. "I don't suppose you've any Remedy on you?"

The younger Turk gave a nod. "Just one."

"Then I'd suggested you bottoms-up that sucker fast." Even in his drunken state, Rude was able to sense something was wrong by the tone of his superior. So without question, he began fumbling around in his pockets for the bottle of medicine.

He'd just managed to land his fingers on it, when there were the sounds of clattering followed by several round objects bouncing across the pavement towards them. Rude felt Alistair's hand jerk him away and pull him down behind a car just before several detonations broke the still night.

"Rude hold your breath," the older Turk ordered before doing so himself. Already he could feel the affects on his eyes, as the gas began to make them water and itch. He could tell that if either of them breathed it in they'd be in trouble.

As he slowly got to his feet, while trying to discern where their attackers were, a figure shot through the thick smoke slamming into the larger Turk making his hold on the redhead wane just a bit. Immediately he strengthened the hold and pulled out a sword preparing for the next attack.

As the effects of the remedy kicked in, Rude became more focused and steady on his feet. As two more rushed in to attack, Rude brought up his fists, and managed to keep himself from getting knocked down. After landing a few strikes, they quickly retreated out of the range of the gas.

Through his blurred vision he found Alistair and the two attempted to leave the range of the tear gas bomb but were knocked back by a few more assailants. They were surrounded and locked in, so they did the next best thing they could do and positioned themselves with their backs to one another.

"Ugh, stop movin' 'round s'much, will ya?" Reno groaned and coughed.

"They're targeting the kid," the older man commented covering his mouth with his sleeve to filter out some of the gas. "Good thing I came prepared. Stay close to me, Rude." The rookie Turk didn't need to be told twice. He covered his mouth with the lapel of his jacket, stuck close and stayed on guard, watching and waiting.

As they stood there prepared for the next attack, their assailants rushed forward from every direction. Each time they got close enough, Rude's fists would lash out clipping them on the chin or shoulder forcing them to retreat while Alistair's blade would slide past them only just missing them.

As the fight continued Alistair began to notice that having Reno on his shoulder as dead weight was very hindering but he couldn't afford to put him down. In the situation they were currently in, doing so would ensure that he would be taken by the enemy. So as an enemy came at him aiming for the boy in his arm, he swung the redhead around knocking the boy's feet into the attacker and sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Heh, well you had to have some sort of use," he murmured in amusement. "I can't just let you be dead weight here."

Reno responded by releasing another sickened groan. "Bastard… Imma kill you…"

While the tear gas was at last beginning dissipate, their chances weren't exactly looking up. "Alright, I didn't wanna have to resort to this, but it looks like it's our best option at this point." Rude glanced over at Alistair, and when he saw the two glowing materia fitted into his equipped wrist band, he knew what the older Turk meant. Using materia magic required a great deal of concentration. Even being a little tipsy or unfocused created the dangers of having the magic either backfire or at the very least injure the user as well as whatever he was aiming for.

"Stand back, Rude," he ordered reaching his hand out. The bald Turk did so and as soon as he was standing behind his superior, Alistair released the power. "Demi." Almost immediately all the assailants collapsed to the ground as if they could no longer hold up their own weight. They groaned and shouted as the pressure continued until the large Turk lowered his arm and it stopped.

"Let's go," he muttered to Rude as he turned on the spot. The new rookie nodded in response and the two sprinted down the street leaving the men to stagger to their feet.

"Sir, was it them?" Rude asked as they reached the front doors to the Shinra building.

"I believe so," Alistair replied adjusting his hold on the moaning Reno. He waited until they entered the elevator, ignoring all the odd stares along the way, to say anything more. "I need to report in, this incident must not be repeated. I need you to take him back to your room. I'll inform you on this matter later."

"Oh, man…" Reno groaned, shifting on the Turk's shoulder. "I think I'm gonna…"

His words were cut off as he vomited a good portion of undigested alcohol all over the floor of the elevator. Alistair's eyes closed, knowing that some of the stuff got onto his clothes. Rude's nose wrinkled a bit as the smell quickly filled the entire elevator.

"Looks like I'll have to call the cleanup crew too," the second in command muttered. When the elevator reached the Turk floor he carefully set the red head onto his feet and handed him over to Rude.

"I can walk myself, dammit," Reno muttered.

"Get him cleaned up and put to bed," said Alistair to Rude. "He's gonna have one helluva hangover tomorrow."

Rude nodded, before leaving the elevator, half carrying Reno in spite of his protests.

Alistair waited until they were out of his sight before he went to his own room to clean up. As soon as he was vomit free, he made a couple of calls and headed for the Commanders office. When he arrived, Veld was sitting at his desk waiting for him with Tseng sitting in one of the guest chairs.

"So, Alistair, why the sudden urgent request to meet?" Veld asked getting down to business as the second in command closed the door and took a seat himself.

"There was an attempt to take the boy tonight," Alistair answered. "I took the liberty to take him along with me and Rude to celebrate my candidate becoming an official member. On the way back we were ambushed. They knew exactly when and where to hit us."

The commander's eyes narrowed at the grave news. "I was afraid this might happen… and you say they knew where to find you?"

"That's what it seemed like. So either they've got really good eyes. Or someone tipped them off."

"A leak in Shinra is the last thing we need at this time." He gripped his chin, eyes staring downwards in thought. "So, they really are after the boy… but for what purpose?"

"This is just a guess," the second spoke up. "But from what we managed to gather, the man the kid used to work for was a very skilled mechanic. Maybe that has something to do with it."

Veld's gaze met Alistair's in a hard stare. "What are you suggesting?"

"Tseng tells me the kid is gifted with building things, though he claims it's just an odd hobby. Shady Larry was killed, then this kid ends up offing Don Reuel, and suddenly these Wutains are now after the kid. If you ask me, this Larry guy got into a really bad deal, and now for whatever reason, they're going after the one person who was close to him."

"A possible substitute of sorts," Veld murmured.

"Possibly. It's hard to tell as the kid doesn't like to talk about him, but from what I've seen and heard it's highly possible they want him to build something that Shady Larry refused to," Alistair replied stroking his goatee.

"At this moment it's only a possibility," Veld stated staring hard at the man before him. "I want you to find out for sure. It's hard to move when we don't know what we are dealing with. We can't wait any longer...you must obtain any information he has about Shady Larry and his most recent dealings."

"Understood sir, however, it won't be an easy task," Alistair tried to explain.

"Right now we don't have the time to worry about this," Veld told him seriously. "I know you don't wish to hurt him, but either you obtain the necessary information or I'll have Haruto take over."

Alistair answered with a slow incline of his head. "Alright then, if that's the case, I'll see what I can do."

Veld nodded in dismissal and he gave a salute before leaving the office. The second in command really hoped the kid would be cooperative. After all, Haruto had a reputation of being the Turk's most skilled member at torture; his methods often crossing the line of being inhumane.

* * *

CM: Uh-oh, spagetti-os. I smell some drama heading our way...


	14. Sealed Lips

**Chapter 14: Sealed Lips**

The next morning was utter hell for Reno. While he didn't feel sick to his stomach anymore, his head was killing him. What pissed him off even more was the fact that Rude seemed completely fine. His memory from the night before was pretty hazy and he didn't remember much after the drinking contest. He was upset to find out Alistair had stopped it before a winner was decided, but it was at least nice to know they had the day off to show for it.

What made the hangover a little more bearable was around late morning, Nina had decided to come visit her brother again.

"So this is where you hang out big brother?" she asked as she sat next to the couch in the TK. Next to her on the couch was Rude with Reno forced to the opposite end.

Rude nodded in answer to her question though he didn't really look at her.

"Well, I'm glad you finally have a friend to spend your free time with," she expressed looking over at Reno.

The redhead stared in confusion while Rude's head turned from her to him and then back. "He's not a friend," he muttered in a deadpan.

"You don't have to be all embarrassed about it," she told him teasingly poking his shoulder. "I'm proud of you for finally making a good friend."

"Yeah, we're the best of pals now, right big guy?" Reno chimed in grinning widely while ignoring his pounding head.

Rude chose to ignore the red head. "How's your schooling going?" he asked Nina.

"It's going pretty well, actually," she told him with a smile. "So far I've been getting S and A rankings in all of my classes. At this rate, I think I can manage getting into college and getting my medical license."

"Medical? So what, you thinking about becoming a doctor?" Reno asked.

Nina nodded. "Yeah… I know it'll be a little harder for me because of my disability, but being a doctor is something I've wanted for a long time now."

"No kidding…" Reno glanced over at Rude, whose expression was difficult to discern.

After a few moments of silence, Rude stood up and looked at Reno. "Let's go."

"Huh? Where?" Reno asked in confusion.

"Bathroom."

The red head rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Don't ya think it's a little rude to leave a guest alone like that? Besides, I'm not gonna do anything to her."

"That wasn't a request," Rude stated firmly.

"Big brother," Nina spoke up, getting his attention. "You're only going to be gone for a little while, right? I'll be just fine."

Rude looked between her and Reno for several moments before he sighed and headed for the door. Before he left, he gave the redhead a dark look clearly telling him he'd die if he tried anything.

"Hehe, I'm sorry about my brother, he can be really overly protective sometimes," Nina said once Rude was gone. As she spoke, Reno scooted across the couch to be closer to her.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed," he said resisting the urge to put a hand to his throbbing head.

"He hasn't hurt you because of it has he?" she asked calmly.

"Naw...well there was the time he socked me in the jaw but I probably deserved it," Reno replied with a shrug.

Nina eyes widened. "Is that why your head is hurting?"

Reno quickly shook his head and immediately regretted it. "So you noticed, huh? And here I was trying not to ruin the visit." He rested an elbow on the arm of the chair and fit his forehead against his palm, closing his eyes. "But no, your brother didn't do this. I just kinda woke up with it. Don't worry about it though, it's no biggie."

She stared at him for a few moments as she fiddle with something inside the collar of her shirt. "Um… I'm not sure how much good it will do, but I do have some Heal materia. It could help."

Reno opened his eyes to look at her. "Seriously? You have materia?"

She nodded with a smile and pulled out a round, periwinkle colored stone attached to a silver chain around her neck. "Yeah… my brother got it for mom and me. It's definitely saved on a lot of doctor bills."

"I'll bet," Reno chuckled. He stopped right away worried that he'd said something rude.

"Yeah, well, why don't you try it?" she told him keeping from going into a rather depressed state. "It should at least help a little."

"Are you sure?" Reno asked looking her over. She nodded encouragingly and handed over the green orb. He took it and after a moment's hesitation activated it. It only took a second to take effect as he slowly felt his headache ease.

"So, how do you feel?" she asked smiling at the look of surprise on his face.

"Awesome," he exclaimed grinning like an idiot. "Thanks!"

"I'm just glad I could help," she giggled accepting the stone back.

About that time, an impulse struck Reno. A very forbidden impulse that he really should have ignored. However, he reasoned, it couldn't hurt to have just a little harmless fun. "Hmm, well, I'm not the type who likes to get something without giving proper thanks," he told her, getting up from his seat.

"I really didn't do anything," she told him with a small shake of her head. "You don't have to thank me."

"Maybe not… but I'd like to," he said stopping in front of her chair. He knew he couldn't dawdle, since Rude would be back any second. It wouldn't be as much fun though if he rushed it. Slowly he leaned down closer to her, with a tempting smile. "I'm just deciding what the best way would be."

Nina's faced remained composed and boy did he applaud her for that. Clearly she wasn't a stranger to being hit on. The fingers of her right hand curled in a little as she kept eye contact with him. "Just be careful what it is you decide," she told him.

He took her suggestion to heart as he continued to move closer. He could see her face tightening ever so slightly as he came close enough to smell her light perfume and feel her breath. Then he reached down and slipped his hand into her clenched one and pulled it up to his mouth kissing it lightly.

"Thanks for the help," he told her in a smoldering voice. He laughed internally when he saw her blink in surprise as he pulled away. "What's wrong? Were you expecting me to do something else?"

"N-no," she muttered pulling her hand back onto her lap. She frowned at him, but he could see something akin to disappointment lingering in her eyes.

"You were," he accused grinning at her. "What were you expecting? If it's something good I may be willing to do it for real."

Nina crossed her arms in front of her, but she was having a real hard time keeping her lips in a frown. She watched as Reno sat back down on the couch still smiling at her and after a few more moments she stopped fighting it and smiled back.

"That's alright… I'd rather not see you end up in the hospital."

Reno released a soft chuckle, knowing exactly what she meant. Speak of the devil, about ten seconds later Rude walked into the room. Immediately he stopped and glanced between the two of them. He immediately noticed the mood was different from when he left, as was the place where the red head had been sitting. He also didn't appear as if he was in any sort of discomfort or pain.

"Is something wrong, big brother?" Nina asked him as though nothing had transpired at all.

The Turk looked back and forth between then once more, his eyes lingering on the now seemingly fine redhead. "What happened?" he finally asked.

"Nothing happened, brother," Nina insisted smiling warmly at him. "Your friend here was a complete gentlemen."

Rude stared at Reno for a long time after this. Just by looking at their expressions he was sure that something had happened, but he had nothing to prove it with. What was worse was that his own sister was standing up for the boy. Well whatever, he'd just punish the kid later.

After a time of looking between the two he finally just sighed and took a seat on the couch after making Reno move over. "He's not worth the effort," he muttered to Nina once he was seated.

"What are you talking about?" Nina asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Your materia. Don't waste it," he explained shortly.

Nina's face fell into light frown. "He was in pain, I had to help him."

Reno smiled at her. "I can already tell you're gonna make a great doctor."

She glanced over at him, as if to check whether he was being honest or just flattering. "You really think so?"

The red head nodded. "Yeah… to be honest, I never really liked doctors, because they always seemed to be snooty bast…. er, jerks that only cared about taking your money. But you seem like the type who'd help someone regardless of who they were. If it came to it, I don't think I'd mind putting my life in your hands."

This comment practically made the girl glow with happiness. "Well… I still have a long ways to go… so please don't go getting yourself mortally wounded."

"Heh, if it means you and I could play doctor it just might be worth it," Reno joked.

He almost immediately regretted this statement as Rude's fists clenched tightly into fists. It was clear the bald Turk wanted nothing more than to plant one of them into Reno 's face. The redhead was sure that the only thing keeping him from ending up with a collapsed skull was that Nina was present.

The situation seemed to only get worse when Nina giggled lightly at his comment and smile slyly at him. "I can guarantee that playing doctor wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable as you think."

After this comment the pair ended up staring at each other until Rude broke their eye contact. "How long will you be in Midgar?" he asked making sure to block her view of the redhead.

"Just for the summer," she told him. "I'm doing a paid internship as well as summer school over at the academy. I'm going to be pretty busy, but I'm definitely going to make time to come visit you."

"You don't have to trouble yourself," Rude told her.

"Right, because seeing you is such a hassle," she said with a small roll of her eyes. "I'm not going to miss out on my only chance to visit you. Though I don't suppose you could give me a number I could reach you at? That way I don't come in at a bad time."

He silently looked at her for a few moments before he finally pulled out a piece of paper and wrote a number down. "This is my number," he told her. "Only use it when you need to."

"Alright, then expect a call from me every day," she told him with a teasing smile. He reached to take the paper back, but she pulled it out of his reach. "I'm kidding. I'll use it only when I need to talk."

Rude grunted his grudging consent as he leaned back in the couch and put a hand over his face. He felt the entire situation was far more irritating than he thought.

"So...as long as we've got pretty much all day," Reno brought up moving in closer to the two. "How about we go on a nice tour and show your sister how awesome the view is from way up here."

"I like that idea," Nina said with a nod. "I wouldn't mind seeing more of this place, considering how big it is."

"Well then," said Reno , standing up from the couch. "Let's get started. We're burning daylight."

"Come on, brother," Nina said as she rolled her way to the door.

As Rude got up from the couch he muttered to Reno, "We'll talk later."

"Eh, can't say I didn't see that one coming," the red head mumbled to himself as he followed the siblings out of the room.

On their way to the elevator, they ran into Haruto. "Good day, Rude," he said with a nod to the younger Turk who responded with a nod of his own. Then his eyes fell on Nina. "And who is this lovely young woman?"

"This is Nina," Reno piped up, smirking at the grimace Rude was sporting. "She's Rude's little sister."

This news didn't seem to deter Haruto in the slightest. "Is that so?" He smiled warmly at her before placing a hand over his heart and giving her a slight bow. "Well then, I cannot convey what a pleasure it is to meet the younger sibling of such a fine colleague."

Nina smiled, feeling a bit awkward at the display of respect from a man she'd just met. "Thank you for taking care of my brother."

"No thanks are necessary. He has made an excellent addition to our group. You should be proud," Haruto said with an incline of his head before turning to Rude. "I've come to take the trouble maker off your hands for a little while."

Rude simply nodded his understanding and handed over the device. "Well, I guess we'll have to meet up again later," Nina murmured, disappointment lacing her voice.

"Don't worry, I'm usually hanging around your brother so chances are I'll see ya the next time you come around," Reno said reassuringly.

"I can't wait," Nina murmured smiling warmly at him.

After her admission to wanting to see him again, Haruto put a hand on his collar and began to lead him away. Although it wasn't obvious to any onlookers, his grip was very tight and almost painful to Reno.

"Hey, ya mind letting up?" he asked once they were out of sight of the two siblings. "That's startin' to hurt ya know."

"I don't really care one way or the other," Haruto replied coldly. "I have zero reason to be as accommodating as the others."

After being half dragged onto the elevator, Reno finally brought his arm up, knocking the other man's hand away. "What the hell, man? Why are you so pissy?"

The older male folded his arms across his chest. "During your stay, you seem to have forgotten why you're here in the first place. Your purpose is to help us with an investigation and thus far, you've done very little in assisting us. Truth be told, I find it rather infuriating that you've been so blithely enjoying yourself while the rest of us are fighting a war."

"And why the hell should I care?" Reno asked seriously. "As far as I'm concerned neither side has done me any favors. So no, I don't give a damn about you or your fucking war."

"Then how about this," Haruto muttered managing to hold back any irritation. "Unless you do what we ask, you may end up as dead or a tool for the Wutains. Once they're through with you, you won't live to see the light of day again."

"Is that seriously supposed to be convincing me to help?" Reno demanded. "Cause the way I see it that'll be the result no matter which side I help so the best option is not helping at all."

"For your own sanity I sincerely hope that you change your mind," Haruto murmured.

"Why's that?"

The glasses wearing Turk ignored his question as the elevator came to a stop and he escorted him out the door.

Reno didn't budge however, not even when the Turk started walking away without him. He stood his ground, even when the distance activated, and he could feel his limbs starting to give out. Haruto watched him, not impressed by the display of stubbornness.

"Would you hurry up? I haven't the time nor the patience to play this game with you right now."

"Fuck you," Reno growled, leaning against the wall to keep from collapsing.

Haruto's eyes narrowed and he made his way back towards the red head. While Reno was given respite from the device, being forced up against the wall with Haruto's blade at his throat wasn't much better.

"You may not have anything to live for," the swordsman muttered. "But some of us do."

"Something to live for?" Reno repeated, and he laughed. "Why should I need a reason to live? Unlike you, I don't need some self-righteous purpose to feel good about myself."

"Then you don't care about Shady Larry's death?" Haurto demanded.

Reno's narrowed. "If I remember correctly, it was one of your guys who killed him."

"He was working for the enemy."

"Yeah, and guess who paid for it? Certainly not you fuckers!"

The silence that followed that exclamation hung heavily over the pair. At last Haruto released him, and sheathed his sword. Then after a few moments of staring at the red head he turned away as if he couldn't bear to look at him a moment longer.

"You would be so much more attractive… if only you didn't open your mouth."

"Guess that means the only way to keep you off is to never close it again," Reno grumbled as he grudgingly followed after the swordsman. "So where are we going anyway?"

"You will see," Haruto answered as they continued down the hallway.

Reno didn't really like his answer so he continued to chat and ask questions until the other stopped in front of a rather thick looking metal door. "I'm not going in there," Reno stated firmly. He suddenly had the feeling his stay was about to get worse.

"You don't have the option," Haruto stated firmly as he gripped the back of Reno 's neck and opened the door forcing him inside.

"You fucking bastard!" he shouted trying to fight back. "I said I ain't goin' in!"

Tiring of the nonsense, Haruto lowered his mouth next to Reno's ear. "Be a good little boy, and behave. Otherwise I'll punish you."

Having another man's hot breath on his ear was enough to make Reno jump forward into the room just to put some distance between himself and the sword wielder. Reno saw the room was similar to the one he'd been placed in when they first brought him. It wasn't empty though.

"For pity's sake, Haru, I told you to get the kid, not get him all wound up," Alistair commented upon Reno's entry.

Alistair pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "My sincerest apologies. Now may I pleased be excused?"

The older Turk nodded. "Sure, just don't go too far in case I need you."

"I won't be far," Haruto promised before disappearing through the door.

"So, why don't you take a seat kid and we can get started," the older Turk said taking his own and leaning back in a relaxed manner.

"Why the hell should I?" he demanded staying on his feet.

"Because if you don't start cooperating now then Haru is going to have free reign," Alistair answered, his voice turning menacing. Reno glared at him and grit his teeth as he slowly made his way to a chair and sat in it backwards, laying his head on his arms as he draped them over the back. "Better. Now I understand that you have no desire to share your relationship with the late Shady Larry, however, we can no longer wait for you to decide you are ready to speak. It's either now willingly, or Haruto will force it out of you."

Reno's eyes lowered to the floor as he chewed on his tongue. To think, he'd just started to get cozy in this place. If there was one good thing glasses had done for him, it was a seriously call back to reality. They were keeping them there for one reason only. He didn't belong here with them.

"Do what you're gonna do," Reno muttered.

Alistair rubbed his eyes as if they were hurting. "Kid… don't make me do this."

"Why not?" Reno asked him. "You guys have been making me do lots of shit since the day I got here. And all these 'liberties'… they were just one big routine. Get the kid comfortable so he'll loosen his lips. I'm not fucking stupid."

"I never once said you were," Alistair pointed out. "But I did prefer that route to the alternative."

"Why's that?" Reno demanded, sitting up in his chair. "The other'd be faster right? You wouldn't have ta drag it out so long for a moment that probably will never happen."

"Look, kid, the truth is I like you," Alistair stated with a shrug. He saw Reno opening his mouth and quickly added. "Not in that way. I see a lot of potential in you and frankly I'd hate to see it all go to waste by torture or death. Just about everything you've been able to enjoy lately has been because I've pulled some strings so we wouldn't have to do it the hard way."

"I don't care what you feel you've had to do to keep me in one piece. I ain't helping you bastards out with anything," Reno declared stubbornly.

There was a loud crash that made Reno jump as Alistair's fist came down onto the metal table, creating a large dent. He released a long exhale before getting from his chair. "Well, can't say I didn't try."

He strode past Reno towards the door. Reno took a deep breath as he heard the door open and click shut. Shit. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair. It was really amazing how a nice day could turn into a really shitty one just in the blink of an eye. Just ten minutes ago he was flirting with a cute girl, and the worst he'd expected was getting punched by Rude later when they were alone. Now he was about to get tortured.

A lot of people would probably call him stupid. It was an easy thing; just tell them what they wanted to know and it could all be avoided. And maybe he would have, if it didn't put Blay at risk. Reno had already promised he wouldn't lead the Turks to his door, and Blay was really the only family Reno had left, if you could call him that, and the closest thing to a friend he ever had. He wasn't going to betray the guy's trust. Not for anything.

That and… well, Reno just didn't like being forced into things he didn't want to do. Plain and simple. He was resolved himself to bite his own tongue off before they could force a word out of him.

He heard the door open and he didn't bother to look around even though he wanted nothing more than to jump out of the chair and get as far away as was possible.

"Not even going to try running?" Haruto asked, the door shutting behind him.

"It'd be kinda pointless," Reno muttered, trying not to think too hard on the reason for the guy being there.

"That it would."

Reno felt the ring on his ear begin to vibrate and the terrible frequency work its way into his head as his body began to lose its ability to keep him sitting upright. He had been anticipating it, and had slumped himself over the back of the chair in order to keep from falling over.

"I really don't like you," Haruto told him as he approached Reno and tied his hands behind his back, keeping the red head facing away. "Even still, I wasn't hoping for this."

"Whatever," Reno grunted through the discomfort, though his voice had dried out in the last scant minute. Once he was effectively bound, the pitch stopped and he went lax in the chair.

The redhead didn't bother looking up at the swordsman as he knew what was coming and knew that doing so would give away his nervousness. There was the sound of the Turk walking around behind him then the sound of a blade popping open. Reno involuntarily flinched at the sound and tried to keep himself from losing his nerve. He swallowed hard and set his mind as best as he could as he felt the cold steel press against the flesh of his arm.

* * *

CM: Fluff mixed with drama, cuz that's what we like best. :D So... yikes, Reno is in some major hot water now. How long will he last? We'll find out, next chapter.


	15. Something to Live For

**Chapter 15: Something to Live for**

Reno was just beginning to feel a bit of pain from the cutting blade when the door suddenly flew open starling both occupants. "Haruto, I'm sorry to interrupt you in your work, but I have been given permission to have a few minutes with the boy before you fully begin."

Reno was shocked to see the intruder was Tseng. A hair or two were displaced making it seem as if he'd just run to the room. His breathing was even as he straightened himself up but the sweat on his brow betrayed his weariness.

Haruto stared silently at Tseng for a few moments sheathing his sword. "Very well." Without another word he left the room, leaving Tseng and Reno alone.

Tseng rubbed his forehead. "I'm glad I made it in time. Honestly though, you really are wearing on the nerves."

Reno watched warily as Tseng released a sigh before going over to the other chair and taking a seat. He didn't get it. What was Tseng doing there? Why now? Was this just another trick to get him talking?

"What do you want?" Reno asked.

Tseng didn't answer straight away. Instead he observed the boy tied up in the chair.

"It's rather odd. You and I are next to nothing alike. Yet here you are, in almost the exact same position I was years ago."

Reno stared at him more confused than before. "And...what do mean by same position?" he asked in irritation.

"When the war began I was a spy for the Wutain forces," Tseng explained. "My mission was to infiltrate Midgar and gather any information I could while destroying anything I could. I knew coming in it would be a suicide mission."

Reno looked shocked by this, but after a moment he realized it made sense. He still couldn't figure out how this man had eventually become a Turk though.

"One month into my assignment and I was captured by Veld," Tseng continued ignoring the redhead's reactions. "I found myself in an interrogation room for hours as he attempted to get information out of me. I refused of course and prepared myself for death."

Reno waited for Tseng to say more, but the Wutain fell silent, his dark eyes going to the dent left behind by Alistair. He didn't ask about it, he was probably able to guess what had happened. Instead he stared at it, wandering in the world of recall. Eventually, the red head got impatient. "AND?"

Tseng glanced up at him. "And what?"

"If you're going to start a story you should at least finish it. I hate it when people stop in the middle."

"Is that so? I wasn't' aware you were interested."

Reno shrugged and glanced away. "I'm not," he lied.

Tseng watched him for a few moments before speaking again. "I can still vaguely remember the pain. I had been trained to endure it, but that sort of torture is hard to forget. My only saving grace was that at the time, Haruto wasn't in the Turks."

"Oh, come on," Reno said, looking back at Tseng. "Is he seriously that bad?"

"Out of all the Turks, Haruto is an expert when it comes to extracting information. He has this… gift of being able to suspend people between the cusp of life and death. I even once witnessed him kill a man and bring him back to life."

Reno felt a chill run over his arms. "Like, with materia or something?"

Tseng shook his head. "No… he breathes the life back into them."

Well, now wasn't that enough to give him nightmares. "Not to complain, but could we go back to you getting ready to die and all that?"

The corner of Tseng's mouth twitched and he nodded. "As I said, I was prepared to die. Welcomed it, even. However, before the interrogator could go any further, the Turk's leader came in and asked that he take over."

"Well wasn't that a saving grace," Reno grumbled. He knew something like that must have happened since the man was standing before him alive and well or else the entire story was nothing but bs. "So what did he ask you if you wanted to join and you jumped on it because it meant you wouldn't die?"

"No," Tseng answered calmly. "His first question to me was; "What is LIFE to you?""

Reno took a moment to think that question over. Honestly the only thing he could really come up with was that he was alive and so he had life...but that didn't sound even close to what the question was referring to. So he decided to get an idea of what it was supposed to be.

"And how'd you answer?"

"I couldn't," the Turk replied. "I had no idea how to answer such a question."

"Tch, a fat lot of help you are," Reno thought in irritation.

"My entire life I was trained to fight for my country," Tseng spoke calmly. "No one ever asked me my opinion or how I felt about it. I simply followed along and did what I was told because that's what I had been taught to do. The good of the many outweighed that of the one. If I died for our country, then my family would achieve honor for my sacrifice."

"That's just… stupid," Reno said bluntly.

Tseng raised an eyebrow at him. "Why do you think that?"

"You get honor if you die?" He rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the soreness of having his hands bound behind his back. "As far as I'm concerned, if you died while on the job, that just means you obviously weren't up to it. Fat lot of use you are dead."

The Wutain nodded. "The leader told me as much. Asked me why I was so ready to die, what would my death accomplish? It was then I realized just how insignificant my life had been. How little I had managed to accomplish, and how much more I wanted to do."

"And that's when you joined?" Reno surmised.

Tseng shook his head. "No… the many years of discipline instilled into me were not so easy to dismiss."

"Right..." Reno muttered looking closely at him. He thought about the question that was asked of the Turk, what would his death accomplish. For Tseng the answer was nothing. After a few moments he had to agree. Dying now wasn't going to make known what had happened to Shady Larry nor would it make all who were responsible pay.

"So then what?" he asked after a bit of silence.

"Then he asked; "What would he think of you readily throwing your life away?""

"Oh so you're playing that card," Reno thought irritably. "And to think it's sort of working." He couldn't help but think about the old man and how upset he got every time Reno did something that got him into a life and death situation.

"So how'd you answer that one?"

"He'd be quite proud of me," the Turk answered with a shrug. "It meant I had brought great honor to my family."

"You're saying your old man would have been happy you died?" Reno asked in disbelief.

While he may have been raised in the slums, the teen had been blessed with a decent set of parents. A dad who was tough on him but still showed he cared and a mom who constantly fussed over him. He was sure neither of them would have at any point been happy Reno had died, no matter what the reason.

"That is correct. Giving one's own life for his nation is one of the highest honors one can achieve."

"Geez, no wonder you're trying to overthrow your own country," the red head stated.

"I am not trying to overthrow my country, I am merely aiming to bring this war to an end," Tseng corrected.

"Same diff." Reno shifted around, his arms and shoulders really starting to ache. "So then what?"

"The next question was simply this; "If you were allowed to continue to live, what would you do with your life?""

"Heh, that's an easy one," Reno laughed. "Travel the world bedding women and drinking booze."

"I see," Tseng replied. It wasn't too obvious but he did sound slightly amused.

"Hey, don't go judgin'. So what'd you answer with?"

"I didn't know how to answer that one either," he admitted. "I had lived my entire life for my family and my country. I had no idea what I wanted for myself."

Reno didn't know what to say to that. Nearly his whole life he'd lived for himself. He couldn't imagine what the sort of life style Tseng had been put through had been like. He almost wanted to ask the Turk why he was telling Reno all of this. Instead he asked, "Did you ever figure it out?"

"Yes," Tseng answered. "Though that didn't come until later, after the leader asked me one final question."

"What was it?" Reno pressed before Tseng could lapse into another one of his silent pauses.

"He asked me, 'Do you wish to continue living?'"

Reno didn't need to ask Tseng what he'd answered for that one. It was staring him straight in the face. He had chosen to live, even if it meant betraying everything he knew and grew up with. It must've been one bitch of a decision, considering the guy's stiff personality.

"And so, I'll ask you, Reno. Do you wish to continue living?"

Reno's jaw tightened at the question. There was a lot more he wanted to do with his life, and he'd already said that he didn't want to die before. The idea of being tortured for information that may or may not lead them to Blay wasn't very pleasant. He now knew what he'd have to do if he really wanted to keep his promises.

"Yeah, I want to live," he finally sighed staring at the floor.

"Then you know what you have to do." Tseng smiled lightly at this as he leaned forward in his chair. "Tell me what happened with Shady Larry."

Reno looked up at the Turk and chewed on his lip for a few moments. "Alright, just would ya mind untying this? It's startin' ta chafe."

* * *

In the observation room, Alistair and Haruto were observing the entire exchange. When the red head finally consented, Alistair released a booming laugh. "That sonuva gun, he actually did it. Remind me to petition him for a raise."

"I'm a little offended. He made me out like I was some sort of boogie man." Haruto's tone carried a touch of indignation and his face expressed he was severely put out by something that went beyond that.

"No, my friend." Alistair clapped Haruto on the shoulder with a wide grin. "The boogie man would check his closet for YOU. No question about it."

The bespectacled Turk actually laughed. It was a brief and very rare occurrence, which made it all the more pleasing to hear. "You over estimate me. I'd never match you in a battle of strength."

"I wonder about that." Alistair glanced away from the monitor to the Turk beside him. "It looks like your services won't be needed. You can go relax now if you want."

"I think I'll stay… just in case."

* * *

When Reno asked to be freed from his bindings, Tseng stood from his chair and went over to the red head without a word. Within moments, he undid the binding and Reno's arms sprang free. He let out a groan of relief and rotated his arms. "Damn, that feels so much better."

"Now, let's get back to the topic at hand," the Turk said returning to his seat. "First, what is your relationship with Shady Larry?"

Reno took a moment to stretch his arms and check the cut on his arm before answering. "The old guy took me in when I was 10. He taught me everything I know about building shit and I delivered what he built."

"I see, that would explain a few things," Tseng murmured making a note of it. "What was his most recent dealing before he was killed?"

"How the hell should I know?" Reno replied throwing his hands in the air. "I only really saw the finished product of stuff but that doesn't mean I know what it did."

"Who was it for?"

"Who do you think?" Reno shot back. "That bastard Don Reuel."

"And were you the one who delivered it?"

The red head slumped in his chair, folding his arms tightly across his chest. "No… not that one. He got someone else to do it but I have no idea who."

Tseng thought on this for a moment. He wondered if Shady Larry had known the handling of this item could very well endanger the boy's safety. "Were you witness to Shady Larry's death?"

Reno gave a rueful shake of his head. "No, the old man sent me off on another delivery all the way to Sector 8. When I came back he was already…" He coughed before glancing away to stare at one of the walls. "Anyway… you already know what happened after that."

Tseng moved his fingers over his chin in thought. Hearing that the redhead's guardian had sent him away on the day in question certainly seemed to solidify his theory that he knew what was coming. "One more question, do you know what the item looked like?"

"I already told you I didn't know what the thing was," Reno exclaimed glaring at Tseng now.

"I know...but all I want to know is if you saw it," he rephrased. "Perhaps a description from you will allow Reeve to figure out what it could be."

Reno bit his lip as he thought back. "Not really. I did see the blueprints for it once but that was it," he murmured settling down. "I never saw the finished product."

"Do you remember what all the blue print contained?" Tseng pressed.

"Okay, granted I pride myself on having a good memory." Reno tapped his skull for emphasis. "But I ain't no wizard. I only got a chance to glance at them before the old man caught me and told me to scram."

The Wutain, however, didn't want to drop the issue just yet. "If you were to take a guess at what it could have been, what would you say it was?" Reno exhaled through his nose, clearly not wanting to say what he thought. "Reno," Tseng said firmly. "What was it?"

"It… looked like it could have been a weapon," Reno said, then added, "but that's a big maybe."

"Not if Don Reuel was truly working with the enemy." Tseng placed his hands in front of him, lacing the fingers together. In silence he sorted through all the information they managed to gather including what Reno had just told him. "I think it's safe to say whatever was requested to be built, failed to be constructed as desired."

The teen stared at Tseng for a few moments. "You think he botched the job?" He shook his head. "Not a chance. The old man was crazy but… hell, he was a freakin' genius."

"It may have been intentional."

"What? You think he'd deliberately ruin his own work?" Reno demanded. When Tseng didn't answer he sighed and tried to think it through himself. If it had indeed been a weapon then there was a chance he may have tried to change the design to make it useless and keep it from being used.

"I don't know for sure but it's highly possible," Tseng told him as he got to his feet. "We'll just have to gather more information. If possible I want you to help us find the blue prints. They may give us the remainder of information."

"I can't help you there," Reno told him with a shrug. "Like I said I only ever saw it once and then he put it away. He probably only pulled it out when he was working on it and he only did that when I wasn't around."

"The fact remains that you may be the only one who can find what happened to those blue prints," Tseng pointed out

"Well when ya need to go get them or whatever you can just drag me along as I have no control where I go anyway," Reno pointed out, reaching up and batting at his earring.

Tseng was a little taken aback by Reno's immediate acceptance of continuing involvement in this investigation. He'd half expected the boy to complain. "I'm glad you feel that way," he stated honestly. "There's quite possibly a great deal at stake, and you're needed to ensure that this war does not take a turn for the worse."

"Don't get the wrong idea, I still don't care about any of that," Reno said shoving his hands in his pockets. "All that matters to me is finding the truth and making those responsible pay for it." After a few moments his head suddenly popped up. "Wait a minute… did you just say you needed me?"

"Yes…" Tseng's response was slow and hesitant, and he was disconcerted by the suddenly grin that had spread over the boy's features. "But I would have thought that were obvious from the beginning."

Reno shrugged not dropping the smirk. "It's just satisfying to hear you actually say it."

Tseng sighed at the boy's comment before getting to his feet and pulling him out of his chair. "It's time you returned to your roommate's side," he said leading him to the door by the collar. "When we need your help you'll know."

"What the hell? I can walk by myself ya know! It's not like that bastard actually hurt me," Reno exclaimed trying to pull free from the tight grip on his shirt.

Tseng ignored him though and forced him towards the door. Just short he stopped. "One more thing. There were two sets of fresh footprints around Shady Larry's grave site, the first obviously being yours. Who did the second set belong to?"

Reno frowned. "Someone who's got nothing to do with this."

The dark haired male nodded, having expected as much. Then without another word he opened the door and shoved Reno through it. On the other side, they found Alistair and Haruto waiting for them, both with interesting smiles on their faces.

"So, everything is in order then?" Alistair asked and the Wutain Turk nodded in answer. "Good, then let's get moving kid. I'm sure you want to clean that up after all." He pointed to the cut on the redhead's arm as he spoke.

"Oh, please, it's just a little scratch." As Reno was led away by Alistair, Haruto turned to Tseng.

"That's the first I ever heard you talk about your past, Tseng." He brushed a strand of ebony from his face, smiling a little. "It's enough to make me jealous."

"It was a necessity, nothing more." Tseng began to walk away and Haruto easily kept pace beside him.

"Even still, I would have just as easily been able to get the information without causing him too much trauma."

"I'm not so sure about that. Not that I doubt your skills, but I also don't underestimate the boy's stubbornness. He would have resisted out of pure spite. As I said, we need him, and it wouldn't have done us any good if he'd been reduced to a basket case."

"I suppose," Haruto murmured in reply. "Not everyone will see it like that though."

"It doesn't change the fact. George and anyone else who opposes it will just have to learn to deal with him for a little longer."

"This is very true," the swordsman replied calmly. The pair lapsed into a small silence before he continued. "Do you truly believe the boy's guardian kept the blue prints after it was made?"

"Yes. If for no other reason than to prolong the illusion that the project was completed properly. If he knew what the item would be used for there is always the possibility of him attempting to keep it from ever being made by anyone else again."

* * *

"So much for a day off." Reno compliantly walked with Alistair though he still wasn't happy about how the day had gone.

"About that, I wanted to wait until tomorrow, but the boss was lighting a flame under my ass." The guy really did seem to be apologetic about the whole situation. "But hey, it only took a couple hours of your time, and I promise you'll be left alone for the rest of the day."

Reno didn't answer. He knew Alistair hadn't wanted to, and while he was an ass about it, he still treated Reno as a regular person rather than a prisoner. Plus it had been a long time since Reno had heard the words 'I like you' directed at him. He hated to admit it, but when Alistair had brought his fist down in frustration at Reno's belligerence, the red head had felt a rare stab of guilt.

"Good to see you're still wearing those weights I gave you."

"Oh, these, actually I forgot I was wearing them at all," Reno admitted holding his hand up and looking at the one on his wrist. "It's almost like I can't feel them anymore."

"Really?" Alistair asked surprised. "Huh, then maybe I should give you the 15 pounders."

"No thanks," Reno said immediately. "I don't need any more weight. These things weighed a ton."

"Before, but you said it yourself that you don't notice them anymore," the large Turk murmured in amusement. "Ever wonder why?"

Well, Reno had to admit that it was curious that he had forgotten about having 10 pounds strapped to each limb. Maybe all it meant was that his body was used to having the extra weight now. Wouldn't that technically mean that he was getting stronger without much effort?

"Well, I did think it was weird," he admitted after a moment. "But I guess that just means I'm getting used to them. which is why I really don't want any more weight."

"Kid, I know you may not believe this, but I'm not doing this solely to give you a hard time. That's just an added bonus on my part. And some day in the future, not today, some day I'll show you why. So starting tomorrow you'll be wearing the fifteen pounders." He said this last part with that voice of absolution that gave no room for argument.

Reno wasn't happy with the verdict but found he was too tired to argue. By the time they found Rude, he was back in his room and Nina was long gone. The red head had to admit he was a little disappointed.

"Sorry about stealing your buddy away, Rude," Alistair told him. "It wasn't something that could be put off though."

"No trouble," Rude answered.

"Tch, I'd rather it was put off," Reno muttered collapsing onto his bed. He watched as the larger Turk handed the device back to Rude. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to know I ain't gonna be shot any time soon, but I could have gone my whole life without that bastard tyin' me to a chair."

"Well, that could have been avoided, kid," Alistair pointed out. "You were just being stubborn. Anyway, you've got a mission in the morning Rude so make sure you're ready for it."

"Yes sir," Rude stated with a nod. He glanced over at Reno as he spoke curious about what the issue was about and deciding to wait a bit before asking.

Alistair gave both males a farewell and left the room. Reno got comfortable, stretching out across the mattress. Rude shut the door before settling into his desk chair. The bald Turk thought about what to do. A part of him still wanted to get after Reno about his sister, but he had to wonder what he'd just come back from. The cut on the younger boy's arm making it all the more worrisome.

"Hey..." Reno stared at the ceiling as he spoke. "You know if you really want to stare at me, you could always take a picture. Better yet, you can draw me. Just no drawing me in the nude or I'll lose all respect for you."

Rude snorted and shook his head. He hated to admit it, but the guy was good for a laugh once in a while. As nerve grating as he was, he knew how to keep the mood light.

"What did Haruto and Alistair want?" He wanted to be in the loop, considering he was the kid's babysitter.

"I guess your boss was tired of watin' for me to talk about my life so they went to force it out of me," Reno answered with a shrug. Rude was rather surprised by this and turned to fully face the redhead. "That glasses bastard managed to cut me good on the arm before what's his face...Tseng came in and convinced me to talk."

"Why'd it take you so long?" Rude asked curiously.

"Hey, the old man wasn't the greatest guy in the world, but he was good enough where I'm not gonna just start spillin' about his life to just anyone."

That was definitely one of Reno's more respectable and noteworthy traits. His immeasurable, unrelenting loyalty. Rude didn't doubt the red head was capable of using and manipulating others if he thought he could and not think twice about it. However, it seemed if you did manage to earn his respect and gain his trust, he could prove to be an invaluable ally.

Reno stretched, popping his shoulder as he did so. "So… you and Nina have fun?"

Rude offered a slow shrug. "I showed her around."

"Not one for details, are ya?" The red head scooted up on the bed so he was half sitting up, his head resting against the headboard. "She say when she'll be here next?"

His tone was casual, but that didn't ease the disquiet Rude felt towards the inquiry.

"She didn't say," Rude answered turning away again.

"Really, she didn't even give a hint as to when?" Reno asked crossing his legs and sitting up. "Not even an I'll be free on this day?"

"No," Rude repeated staring at the papers on the desk. "She doesn't know when."

"Too much school right? Well we could always go say hi ourselves."

"No. She needs to focus on school. I'm not going to bother her."

"What bother?! She's your sister and said she wanted to visit with you while she's up here."

"You're not going to be seeing her again." Rude stated this with finality.

Disbelief flickered across Reno's face. "You've gotta be shitting me. Look I already told ya, I didn't do anything and I'm not planning on doing anything. I get it, she's your little sis and you're her over protective big brother, but damn… just the fact you feel you need to protect her from me is a little insulting."

Rude stared at him, his face stiffened into a hard frown. "I can't trust you." Not with this anyway. True, perhaps Reno wasn't the worst possible person for his sister to associate with, but his instincts as an older brother were raging the two should never meet again.

He'd seen how Reno acted with women. Ill-intentions or not, that wasn't something he wanted Nina exposed to if he could avoid it.

"Then don't," Reno muttered flopping back on the bed. "But you trust her right?" Rude didn't answer though he seemed rather irritated by the question. "Then why not just let her decide. She's plenty smart so there's no way I'd be able to convince her to do something she didn't want to."

"You wouldn't even be able to ask," Rude stated firmly. Just the fact that Reno even brought up the possibility was enough to confirm his worries.

"Tch, whatever." The teen rolled over onto his stomach, then after a few moments got off the bed and headed to the bathroom. He paused at the door. "It really pisses me off, how easily you can brush off your family. Some of us aren't so lucky to have that luxury. Go ahead and hate yourself, but don't make a cute girl like that sad because of it."

Rude's fist clenched but he made no reply. He shut the door behind him and minutes later Rude heard the shower turn on. "You don't know…" Rude murmured to the empty room. He knew he shouldn't be bothered by the words of a sulking teenager, but oddly enough he was.

Another bad habit about Reno Rude had picked up on -one he probably didn't even realize himself- was he had this knack of seeing things in others they preferred to keep hidden away from the rest of the world.

* * *

Shipponut: Scary right? Talk about a close call. But it seems that with this incident trust is strengthened between Reno and a few of the other Turks, though only slightly.

CM: Hey, every little bit counts. Why don't we wait and see if this continues. :D


End file.
